


Journey of an Ice Queen and dusty, old Qrow

by SelkieLament



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, POV Alternating, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2020-04-07 23:51:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19095511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SelkieLament/pseuds/SelkieLament
Summary: Vale is in ruins after the Grimm attack, and the Huntsmen and Huntresses are doing what they can to keep Remnant safe. After arriving at Beacon to help with the aftermath of the attack, Winter Schnee wants to do more than simply return to Atlas like General Ironwood ordered. So when she hears Qrow will be leaving on a secret mission left by Ozpin, Winter decides to join him in an effort to protect the world from their mysterious opponent, Salem.





	1. Beginning of the Journey

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my story! Though this is the first chapter posted on AO3, the story is also posted on fanfiction.net and is up to a little over 20 chapters. There will be no difference between the story on the sites, it will just be more up to date on fanfiction.net for now as I upload the chapters onto AO3. 
> 
> This story is a slow-burn story revolving around the characters of Winter and Qrow. The original RWBY trailers and Volumes 1-3 are considered canon in this story. Volumes 4-6 are not canon, however a number of characters, settings, and or ideas from Volumes 4-5 do appear in some chapters. Please feel free to leave comments, and I hope you enjoy the story.

Vale was in flames. Barely any buildings were still complete and standing, and Grimm were still pouring in and out of the city. A few Huntsmen and Huntresses were scattered here and there, trying their best to protect the citizens of Vale and fight the endless onslaught of Grimm, but with the CCT down, there was no way to call for backup from any other kingdoms.  


General Ironwood, Glynda Goodwitch, and Qrow Branwen had gathered together one last time before they parted ways. The majority of the battle was over, but the influx of Grimm hadn’t stopped. For the moment, it seemed as if the Grimm, and the strange woman who had organized the attack, had won.  


“What will you do, James?” Qrow asked, pulling out a silver flask and taking a swig. General Ironwood looked at the meager number of soldiers and Atlesian Knights.  


“We’re...moving most of our knights and paladins out,” he said slowly, looking a little guilty. “Many people were injured, and I just don’t know how much I can trust the robotics’ system. We lost multiple airships, and some good men, Qrow.” Qrow paused, staring off into space.  


“I know, James. I don’t blame you for trying to save what few soldiers are still here,” he said. He took another long drink. “It looks like we lost this one.” The three sat there silently for a moment, somberly gazing at the destruction around them.  


“Glynda-,” Ironwood began.  


“I’m staying here.” The other two Hunters looked at her, and she met their stares with a cold, though tired, gaze of her own. “Someone has to help the people still here, and look after the city. We cannot leave it to be completely abandoned. And someone needs to protect Beacon as well, now that Ozpin-,” she stopped and clicked her tongue, as if annoyed by something, though her dreary expression clearly showed how miserable she was, and how much she worried about Ozpin. Qrow, who had searched through some of the ruins of the Beacon tower, had found nothing but his cane. Glynda had momentarily gone into a frenzy before composing herself, and James had nearly punched out a wall. Qrow stood up, slipping his flask back into a pocket and dusting his pants off.  


“Well, I should-,” he began, before a low muffled rumble cut him off. The rumble grew into the roar of an engine, and an airship with decorated wings landed near the three older Hunters. Ironwood’s shoulders sagged a bit, and Qrow stiffened. Both knew who was on the ship.  


The door of the ship opened, and a young woman quickly stepped out, her chalky white hair piled into a bun and her expression one of barely stifled panic. Two soldiers followed her, flanking each side. When she got close enough to the other three, she stopped and saluted James.  


“General Ironwood, sir!” she said.  


“At ease, Schnee,” he said in a tired tone. The woman snapped her hand back to her side, and continued forward.  


“Sir, I was informed briefly of the situation by Airship Blue 1 before our line was cut. It seemed our communications have been jammed, and I came as quickly as possible,” Winter said, her eyes scanning the surrounding area. Her frown deepened as she took in the destruction. Her gaze fell on Qrow for a split second before she turned back to Ironwood.  


“Sir, if there’s anything I can do,” she said.  


“I want you to do a last check for any civilians in this area,” Ironwood commanded. “Then, join the last few troops in moving out.” Winter’s eyes widened.  


“Moving out? Sir, are you sure?” she asked in surprise.  


“Are you questioning me, Schnee?”  


“No sir,” she muttered, dipping her head. Her eyes darted around again. “Have you seen my sister?”  


“Your sister?”  


“Have you seen Weiss?” Winter asked pleadingly, and this time the question was directed to Glynda and Qrow too.  


“Your pop picked her up not too long ago.” Qrow said, jabbing his thumb in the direction of where Weiss had last been. Winter’s normally pale face lost what little color it had.  


“My father was here?” she stammered, looking almost frightened. Qrow raised an eyebrow.  


“Yeah,” he drawled. “You didn’t know?” Winter’s mouth snapped shut and she looked away. It was as good as a confirmation.  


“Professor Ozpin?” Winter asked.  


“We couldn’t find him,” Qrow said, giving the cane in his hand a sad look. Winter stared at him, unable to find the words to say in a situation like this. General Ironwood cleared his throat.  


“Winter, you should head back to Atlas as soon as you possibly can. We don’t know where our enemies will strike next,” Ironwood said. “And with the CCTs down, it will be best if the entire Atlas military convenes back at the base for further instructions. You might want to see your father and sister as well, to let them know you’re okay.” Winter bit her lip. Her first instinct was to salute the general and agree with him, doing a sweep of the area and fighting off any Grimm in the way before leaving with some of the troops. But then she caught Qrow’s eyes again, and the disdained look he was giving her. Whether it was because of the option Ironwood gave her to leave, or the fact that the Atlesian military technology was part of the destruction, she didn’t know. But she knew that she hated that look. And she would probably regret the decision she was about to make. _Weiss, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I probably won’t see you for awhile, and that you had to leave your friends to go with father. I’ll try to see you as soon as possible, but…_  


“Sir, I’d like to request to stay here and help as much as I can,” Winter asked formally, keeping her back ramrod straight and her chin pointed. General Ironwood raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Qrow looked away, but Winter could have sworn he was grinning.  


“Are you sure, Schnee?” the general asked.  


“Absolutely, sir.” Ironwood sighed, rubbing his wrist.  


“Well then, you can take your troops and patrol the city, rescuing any civilians and fighting off any Grimm you see.” The four turned their heads to the sky as another airship left, presumably with multiple Vale citizens, Beacon students, and visitors who had arrived for the Vytal Festival aboard.  


“Well, I think that’s my cue to leave,” Qrow said, turning to leave.  


“Where are you going?” Winter asked. Qrow glanced at the woman for a minute, scoffing in an annoyed manner.  


“Not that it’s your business or anything, but I have two nieces, friends of your little sister, who had a shit day today. I had to practically drag one out of that!” He pointed at the half-destroyed Beacon tower. “And both are unconscious and in rough shape. I’m leaving to take them back to Patch.” Winter remembered the day Weiss had introduced her to Ruby, how happy Weiss was with her leader, the number of letters Weiss had sent to tell her of Team RWBY. Winter pictured the young girl with the red cape, bruised and unconscious among the crumbling tower, and she immediately felt horrible for calling Ruby underwhelming. Someone who had been a friend to her sister, and who had tried to fight the day Vale fell was anything but “underwhelming”.  


“Qrow!” Ironwood snapped. Qrow waved him off dismissively, walking towards the center of the city, where most of the airships were, waiting to take people to a safer location.  


“Good luck Qrow,” Glynda murmured.  


“He’ll need it,” Ironwood mumbled. Winter stiffened at the general’s words. _Need it for what?_ James Ironwood caught Winter’s eye and looked away. “It’s going to be hard for everyone after this. And this isn’t the end.” That wasn’t it. Winter knew there was something going on between Qrow, Glynda, and the general. It was the same the day she had arrived at Beacon, when Qrow had kicked her out of Ozpin’s office. There was something they didn’t want her to know. She knew Qrow had been away on covert missions for the general and Professor Ozpin. General Ironwood had shared that much with her. But there were still some things they were keeping from her.  


She had an idea, and she wasn’t sure how smart of an idea it was. But for once in her life, Winter wanted to do something of her own free will, something she herself thought was right. She bowed to General Ironwood quickly.  


“I’ll be right back sir,” she said apologetically, turning and running after Qrow, leaving behind a confused looking Ironwood. She turned down a street and inwardly groaned. Why was every street in Vale so long, and connected to every other alleyway and road?! In Atlas, the streets were like a neat, straightforward grid. It was much less complicated and tangled than this web of roads. She gritted her teeth and concentrated, focusing her Aura. A large, pale blue glyph appeared at her feet. She pressed her feet against it, then she let it go. She shot forward, running across a trail of blue-white glyphs. Her feet carried her faster than usual; with her glyphs, she could increase her speed and momentum, and incorporate Dust for varied effects. She reached the center of the city in less than a minute. Qrow was nearly aboard one of the medical airships. Winter could see tiny spots of dark red and golden yellow further in the ship. His nieces no doubt, Weiss’ friends.  


“Qrow!” she called. The older Huntsman stopped at the foot of the stairs leading into the ship. One of the paramedics aboard looked confused.  


“Sir, we’re leaving soon,” he called worriedly.  


“Give me a minute,” he said gruffly, turning to face Winter. His eyes were narrowed, and he still held Ozpin’s cane in his hand. “What do you want?”  


“I want to help,” Winter blurted out.  


“Yeah, I got that. The general already gave you some busy work, didn’t he?” Qrow asked, raising an eyebrow.  


“That’s not what I meant,” Winter snapped. She took a breath, trying to level her head. “I know that you’ve been on missions. For the general and Ozpin.” Qrow paused, staring at her. “I know it had something to do with the attack on Vale, and the person who caused this.”  


“Give the woman a prize.”  


“And I want to help you find whoever did this.” That got a serious look from Qrow. Actually, he was looking at her as if he was crazy.  


“Go back to your robots and your soldiers, kid,” Qrow said, and Winter thought he almost looked sad. “You don’t need to go off on some crazy adventure and get yourself killed because you're mad.”  


“I’m not a kid, and I’m not mad,” Winter snapped again. “I want to _do_ something.” Qrow just kept looking at her with the same arrogant look of his. It made her want to slap him with the butt of her sword. He finally smirked, crossing his arms with an amused gaze.  


“Finally tired of constantly taking orders from old Jimmy?” he asked in a mocking tone.  


“General!” Winter corrected, annoyed. “And I have nothing against him. I hold the general in the highest respect. But I feel that I can be more helpful if I redirect my skill and effort elsewhere. General Ironwood has given me the simple task of patrolling the city, and after doing that he still wants me and the other soldiers to leave. But I want to do something else. I want to find whoever did this, and stop them from causing anymore destruction on Remnant.”  


“Is that all?”  


“I want to protect my sister,” Winter said, looking at the Huntsman with an even gaze. To her surprise, he nodded in agreement.  


“You’re right. I was working with Ozpin, Ironwood, and Glynda on a few secret missions. On one of them, I fought a group of people who I believe infiltrated Beacon, and caused the Grimm to attack,” Qrow said steadily.  


“Sir, we’re leaving!” the paramedic yelled, waving his hand furiously. Qrow shook his head.  


“I should be going,” he said reluctantly. He slipped a piece of paper into Winter’s hand, closing her fingers around it.  


“What is-,”  


“Three weeks. Exactly. Meet me at that location. If you’re serious about wanting to help, you’ll be there. If you change your mind, don’t come. I’ll be there that day.” With that, Qrow spun on his heel and boarded the airship, no goodbye or last look. Winter looked at the piece of paper and frowned.  


_Alright, Qrow. I’ll see you in Mistral._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Forgive any formatting mistakes as well. I'm attempting to get used to AO3's HTML system, so it might take a bit to get the formatting down. Thank you for your patience!)


	2. A Way Of Leaving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter has returned to Atlas after speaking with Qrow in Vale. She is considering joining Qrow on the secret mission he mentioned, but is unsure of how she would be able to leave Atlas. Will the General understand, or will he prevent her from leaving?

It had been nearly three weeks since Winter had seen Qrow. She had stayed longer than she had hoped in Vale, trying her best to clean the city of Grimm. Vale was nearly empty of people now; most had fled to a safe zone being set up right outside of Vale, while some had left for the other kingdoms. Neither was a permanent solution, and Winter couldn’t imagine the other kingdoms would want refugees after witnessing the chaos live before the CCT had been destroyed. 

Glynda was one of the few Hunters left, and Winter wondered why she stayed. The woman was exhausted from constantly fighting Grimm and slowly rebuilding the houses and stores that had been knocked to the ground. The influx of Grimm had slowed, but it had not stopped. Though the strange, large Grimm was still frozen on top of Beacon, the negativity of the few people left and the other Grimm still drew in others. Winter and her soldiers had fought off a good number, but after a week, she knew they weren’t even much of a help anymore. With most people gone, and the Grimm too large in number to put a real dent in, Winter and her troops had retreated.

Winter had flown her ship back to Atlas. The entire kingdom was on high alert, and Winter found that despite the fact that there had been no battle in her kingdom, she was even busier than usual as every soldier was required to be ready for a suspected attack on Atlas. The fall of Vale had made the other kingdoms paranoid and fearful, especially Atlas,who feared the enemy coming for their technology, and who also feared the other two kingdoms, who last saw Atlesian robots attack innocent people and their own allies before the everything shut down.

Now Winter sat in her room. Or at least, the room she called her own since she had joined the military. The room, like most things in Atlas, contained shades of white and grey, and was incredibly clean. She fingered the small, wrinkled piece of paper Qrow had handed her that day. She had only three days until she had to be at the location. She frowned. A part of her didn’t want to leave Atlas. As a member of the Specialists of the Atlesian army, she was one of the general’s best soldiers, and she was a higher rank than any normal soldier. And if she left now, she would be leaving Weiss. Again. With their father. But the mission Qrow was talking about was important. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Qrow had actually talked to her normally, without mocking her, insulting her, treating her with contempt. He had invited her to help him.

She slipped on her long coat and gloves, and pulled on her boots. Atlas was especially cold most of the year, and parts of Mistral were fairly cool too, so she had to go prepared. Winter paused when looked at her weapon on her belt. She would need Dust. She preferred saving her Dust for situations that really called for it, choosing to rely on her weapon skills and her Semblance more often than Dust. Especially since it had become harder to acquire since she had joined the military. The amount of Dust a soldier could own was regulated, even for the Specialists, and her father, still angry that she had joined the military rather than learn the family trade as heir to the Schnee Dust Company, was not much of a help at all. _It's a good thing Weiss and a few employees in the company were still on my side,_ Winter thought as she pulled a briefcase out of her closet and dumped its contents into her backpack.

“Water, Ice, Earth, Lightning, Fire,” she listed, counting the tubes of powdered Dust that dimly shone from her pack. Winter grabbed what Lien she had and threw a couple bottles of water in her backpack before zipping up and leaving her room, locking the door. _I don’t know how long I’ll be gone._ That was the thought that had haunted her the most the past few weeks.

She walked down the hallway, trying to appear as composed and calm as she possibly could. She thought back to the conversation she had with General Ironwood a week earlier.

_Sir, I’d like to take a leave of absence._

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_Why is that?_

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_I don’t know if I can tell you that, Sir._

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_Schnee, what do you want to leave for?_

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_I’m needed elsewhere, Sir._

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_You’re needed here! Where else are you needed? You’re not going back to Vale, Schnee._

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_Not Vale, Sir. Mistral._

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_And why do you want to go to Mistral?_

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_To help someone. To try and fix what has happened. To look for the person who orchestrated the attack of Vale._

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_If you refuse to tell me anything about this Schnee, I’m not sure I can authorize this. We need every soldier here, in case Atlas is targeted._

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_Sir, please! I need to do this._

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_...I’ll think about it Schnee._

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That had roughly been there conversation a week ago. And though she had persisted in her attempts to be relieved of duty temporarily, the general still hesitated and kept putting off his decision. In one of their meetings she had almost lost her temper.

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“You’re refusing to allow my leave of absence!” she had nearly shouted.

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“I’m sorry, Winter. But it’s not just me,” the general had apologized. That had stopped Winter. Of course. The Atlas military, government, and academy were all the same. If the council did not approve of her leave of absence, there was only so much General Ironwood could do. So she had saluted him, apologized for her tone, and left as quickly as possible.

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So she had no choice but to leave on her own. That had been Winter’s hardest decision she had ever made. But there was only a few days left until Qrow was at the location on the paper. If she missed the day, Qrow would leave without her. She was doing the last thing a Schnee was supposed to do. She was breaking the rules. She was going AWOL. 

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“Ms. Schnee!” two soldiers exclaimed, saluting her as she passed by them. She nodded in their direction, trying to control her breathing so she wouldn’t give herself away.

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“At ease,” she said. The soldiers’ arms returned to their sides, and the two kept walking down the hall. Winter waited until they were out of sight before quickening her pace, making it to an elevator and punching the button that would take her to the basement level. From there, she would have to find a way to take one of the airships. It would mean stealing an airship, albeit a tiny one. Winter couldn’t help but wince. The list of felonies were piling up. 

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As she walked through the garage, carrying herself with a collected demeanor, she heard distant footsteps far behind her, and ever so slightly quickened her pace. _It’s no one. A janitor, or some random soldier, or a mechanic just looking at one of the ships,_ she mentally reassured herself.

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Just as she entered the courtyard filled with airships, small and large, some meant for combat, others for cargo, a voice broke the windy air.

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“Schnee!” Winter froze. She knew the voice, and one of the only people who addressed her that way. She spun on her heel and saluted.

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“General Ironwood!” she said evenly. The general walked towards her slowly. 

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“I’m surprised to find you out here, Schnee,” he mentioned. Winter forced a tiny smile onto her face.

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“Yes, Sir,” she said.

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“And with your pack,” he added.

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“Sir, I-,”

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“Didn’t wait.” Winter blinked.

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“Pardon me, Sir?”

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“You didn’t wait for me. Were you expecting to leave for your mission without these?” Ironwood held out a hand. In his palm was a piece of paper and a pair of keys. He gestured for her to take them, and Winter cautiously picked them up, looking at the piece of paper, then looking at Ironwood with confusion.

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“My mission, sir?”

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“I want you to go back to Vale. We do still have some soldiers there, and you wanted to be of help.” 

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“I-,”

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“There’s no need to deny it. It took me awhile to think about this decision, but after speaking with the council, I think it’d be best to keep some soldiers there. And who better to assist them than you?” Winter felt her cheeks burn, feeling a mixture of relief and guilt.

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“Yes, sir. Thank you,” she murmured. The general nodded, already turning to leave.

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“I know that this mission is important to you, Winter. Good luck,” he said, walking away. Winter turned back to the courtyard when she heard him call out one last time. “I hope you find what you’re looking for!” Winter’s head swung around and she stared at the back of the general for a moment before he entered the elevator, not turning back once to look at her before the doors slid shut behind him. Winter clenched the keys in her hand and took a deep breath. _This is it. I’ve been given the opportunity. I cannot, and will not, go back. Not until I see this through._

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Winter wandered the airship yard, no longer bothering with the appearance of staying composed and cool as she raced from one ship to another. Finally her gaze settled upon the ship she was looking for. A smaller ship, one no one would miss hopefully. It was nowhere near the size of some of their largest ships, Blue 1, 2 and 3. It was an airship made for light travel and combat, and could only contain a small crew. Perfect for covert operations, the Atlesian Specialists preferred such ships whenever they left on missions. Just as Winter was doing now. It wouldn’t take her too far, but it was enough. Atlas was an island, but Mistral wasn’t too far South. The kingdom was to the southeast of Atlas, and the location where she would meet Qrow was on the side closest to the military kingdom. 

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The door slid open as she slid the key into its slot, watching the inside of the ship come to life. Winter sat down in the main chair, sliding her hand across the control panel and punching in the coordinates Qrow had given her. She gripped the steering wheel as the plane began to rise off the ground. 

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_Thank you, General Ironwood, for giving me the opportunity to do this,_ Winter thought with a smile. Three more days. She’d probably have to leave the airship somewhere, and then travel to Qrow’s location by foot. It wouldn’t exactly be easy, but she wasn’t used to things being easy. 

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“Alright Qrow. I’m on my way,” she said with a determined expression as the plane shot into the sky, leaving Atlas behind her. 

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	3. Outside of the Comfort Zone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter finally has the chance to leave Atlas, and heads to Mistral with the hopes of meeting up with Qrow and discovering what his secret mission truly is.

Winter kept checking the watch she wore around her wrist. It had been over three hours since she had left Atlas, so she knew that she had to be reaching Mistral’s coastline soon. She had left early in the afternoon, so by the time she landed it would be the beginning of the evening, and she would most likely have to stay in the ship for the night. She could try looking for a place to stay, but considering her landing spot would be in the middle of the forest or mountains, it was unlikely there was any place for her to stay at nearby. And of course she had to get to the location Qrow had given her within the allotted time frame. She wished her scroll still worked. It would have made finding Qrow and communication with him ten times easier.

  


A light began blinking on the control panel. Winter looked at it and her map she had laid over the blank GPS screen. She glanced out the window of the ship, then back at the map. From the looks of it, she had just entered Mistral. She leaned over and flipped one of the switches off, then slowly began lowering the plane. A tiny clearing among the forested area at the base of a few smaller mountains came into sight, the perfect place to land.

  


_This is it,_ Winter thought as the airship lowered until it hit the ground. _Unfortunately, I’ll have to leave the ship here. Best to remain inconspicuous and avoid being associated with Atlas. Besides, Qrow’s location is farther south, in the swamplands of Mistral. There would be no place to land an airship, even a small one, there._

  


After making sure the airship was secured in its position, she quickly changed out of her military uniform and pulled on a less formal outfit, consisting of a white turtleneck, navy blue pants with a white stripe on the sides, a dark grey jacket with fur lined along the hood and sleeves, white gloves, and dark grey hiking boots, which she had cringed at the moment she stepped into them. It went against what she was used to, the professional, stiff outfits of the military, and the formal, fancy outfits a Schnee girl might wear. But she was an Atlas Special Operative, who had fought herds of Grimm before, taken on more experienced Hunters, and was right hand woman for General Ironwood. She could handle fending for herself in the middle of the woods in Mistral, and she could handle wearing the sensible, albeit hideous, boots.

  


Winter tried her best to sleep that night, but it wasn’t easy. It didn’t help that the tiny bunk at the back of the ship was not comfortable in the slightest. She tossed, she turned, she punched the tiny, rectangular pillow approximately 100 times. After what seemed like a millenia, Winter blinked her eyes open as dim rays of sunlight hit them. She couldn’t remember how long she had slept, or when the sun had risen, but she was happy it was finally the next day. As she grabbed her bag and walked down the ramp of the airship, Winter paused, looking at the pale blue sky. _I wonder what Weiss is doing now._

  


For most of the day, nothing really happened. Be it random or something else, Winter hardly spotted any Grimm, and made her way out of the snowy forest pretty easily. She briefly stopped in her tracks when she saw multiple black spots dotting the mountains in the distance. They almost looked like Goliaths, but they weren’t attacking anyone. So Winter left them alone, warier now that she knew the forest wasn’t completely void of Grimm.

  


As the sun slowly began to disappear, Winter stopped and decided to set up camp. The area was mainly a marshland, but there was no changing that, so she would have to make do. She had just started a fire, feeling pretty pleased with herself, when she heard the faint rustling of cloth. She turned her head to see two men, both looking very lanky and rugged in appearance. One had a hand in her pack, stopping only when the two noticed that she was glaring at them.

  


“That’s a bit rude, don’t you think?” she asked in an icy tone.

  


“Finders keepers,” the guy next to the pack said. The other grinned and laughed. Winter marched slowly over to them, discreetly reaching for her weapon at her side.

  


“Actually, it’s not,” she said coolly. “In case you dull-witted idiots weren’t aware, that’s my bag. I’d appreciate it if you left it, and me, alone.” The two thieves were beginning to look at her as if she were crazy.

  


“Beat it, lady, and we’ll leave you alone,” the thief said, and began shifting around in the bag again. He barely noticed as a thin, silver gleam shone as a dagger pinned the thief still standing to a tree behind him. As the first thief looked up, Winter slammed into him, delivering a sideways kick that sent him sprawling to the side before holding a long sabre to his neck.

  


“I don’t take kindly to being treated rudely. At. All,” she said through her teeth, swiftly kicking him in the side again. She stood over him, aiming the tip of the blade at the man’s head. “So leave now, and I won’t finish you.” The thief looked up at her fearfully, and hightailed it away from her. Winter quickly grabbed her other blade that was still pinning the second thief to the tree. He nearly slumped to the ground as she pulled the dagger free, and he dashed after his friend. Winter scoffed and walked back to her fire, kicking some dirt over it. “Who needs a fire anyway. It will just attract unwanted attention, clearly.” And that night, Winter stayed propped up against the trunk of a tree, her sabre in her right hand, and her dagger behind her, in case someone tried to attack her.

  


When she woke up the next morning, Winter felt more ready and nervous than she had ever felt before. If she made good time that day, she should make the location by night, so she could just wait for Qrow to arrive the next day. She still felt tired, but not enough to stop and rest. She had to keep pushing forward.

  


It was about the middle of the day when she found a dirt road in the middle of the marshlands. Figuring any road must lead somewhere that wasn’t the middle of nowhere, Winter decided her best bet was to follow it. She kept checking and re-checking a map she had brought along. She could read it better than most, as it was a requirement to learn basic skills in navigation at the Atlas Academy, but she still wished the CCTs were working so she could use her scroll.

  


The distant clatter of wood and something thudding against the ground made Winter’s head snap back. An odd shape was making its way towards her, lurching from side to side. She jumped to the side of the road, waiting to see what had followed her. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that she saw the strange object was actually a cart, pulled by two horses with an older man sitting at the front. He caught her gaze and smiled, pulling back on the horses’ reins. Winter took a step forward, and the old man tipped his hat.

  


“Afternoon, ma’am,” he said. “Where are you heading?” Winter hesitated, reluctant to share what could be considered vital information. After a brief moment of deciding whether or not to tell the old man, she consented.

  


“I’m heading here,” she said, handing the man the slip of paper from Qrow. The man gently took the paper, looking it over, before giving her a smile.

  


“Oh, I’ve heard of this place. The bar, right? It’s that way,” he said, pointing straight ahead of him. Winter grimaced when the man mentioned it was a bar. Leave it to Qrow to pick a bar in the middle of Mistral swampland as a meeting place. The old man glanced at Winter. “You know, if you need a ride, I’d be happy to take you there. You’ll get there much faster, and my destination is just a little past there.” Winter looked up, surprised.

  


“That would be very helpful,” she said politely, bowing a bit. The man gave her a strange look, but then moved over, allowing enough space for Winter to join him at the front of the wagon. Winter hopped on, seating herself beside the man and folding her hands in her lap. The man whistled, and the horses began moving again, the wagon lurching forward as they began to trot. “Thank you, sir,” Winter added after a few silent moments.

  


“It’s really not much of a problem,” the man said, eyeing her a second time. “Though I must say, you don’t look like you’re from around here.” Winter kept her eyes locked on the horses, thinking over a good excuse for why she would be hiking in the mountains and swamps.

  


“I’m visiting a really close friend,” she said finally. The older man gave a single nod, turning back to the reins he held.

  


“Better be careful traveling nowadays. It’s become a lot harder for people, especially those travelling to different kingdoms. Ever since the city of Vale was destroyed by the Grimm, and the Vytal tournament was ruined, people have become very … cautious around others.”

  


“Indeed,” Winter murmured.

  


“The council has been trying to decide what to do. Given that we can’t talk with the other kingdoms anymore, it’s been kinda hard to see what actually happened. Though me personally, I don’t know what was going on with Atlas.” Winter’s hands tightened into fists, and she took a deep breath. _No one knows what really happened outside of the Atlesian army and some of the students and Hunters fighting in Vale. It makes sense for others to be suspicious of Atlas at this point,_ she reminded herself. “And everything awful that happened in the tournament! One of the Haven kids had his leg practically snapped in two! Awful, awful. A festival made for peace, completely ruined. Not to mention the chaos in all the kingdoms now, and the rise of Grimm.”

  


“I noticed a few Grimm while I was hiking,” Winter mentioned, hoping to steer the conversation away from Atlas and the battle. “They seemed very relaxed.”

  


“Well, don’t let them fool you! To be honest, some of the Grimms out here in the wilderness won’t bother humans too much. Don’t really know why, though I guess there’s just no one to feel angry or sad enough out here to attract ‘em or something like that.”

  


“And you don’t live out here?”

  


“I live in a marsh area very much like this one. I’ve got friends out around this area, and we’ll trade crops and bring supplies to each other now and then.”

  


“It’s not hard, with such swampy land?” Winter asked.

  


“No, not at all!” the older man said, laughing heartily. “In fact, it’s better. Let me tell you why.” And for the remainder of the trip, he told Winter the details of farming in Mistral, of how and when to sell crops, of the mountain area and how to travel around it. Whenever Winter felt as though the conversation got to close to a bad topic, like where she came from or her job, she would shift it back to the older man, inquiring about his life in the swamps of Mistral. She barely noticed when the sun had begun to set, until the cart lurched to a halt. Winter gripped the seat beneath her, looking around.

  


“Why have we stopped?” she asked. The old man looked at her with a smile.

  


“We’ve reached your place!” he said. Winter blinked, then glanced around. They had stopped at a small town. Well, town was being generous. There were a few houses here and there, all looking fairly old and rundown. The only one that didn’t appear to be someone's actual home was a larger one in the center of the small area, a lit lantern on the outside and rowdy laughter coming from the inside. It had to be the bar Qrow wanted to meet her at. Winter hopped off the cart, and dusted her pants off as she turned to the old man.

  


“Thank you so much,” she said.

  


“No thanks necessary. Just trying to be a good person. Hard to come by in recent days,” the man said with a wink.

  


“Here, I have some Lien, or Dust if you would like,” Winter offered, reaching into her pack.

  


“No, stop that. I don’t need any of your money or supplies.” He picked up the reins, and looked around uneasily. “But if ya don’t mind, here’s some last minute advice.” Winter paused, staring at the older man as he leaned closer to her. “Careful around these parts. With the kingdoms against each other, the world’s a more dangerous place. And this is the type of area you’d find some wandering bandits or Hunters who may not be quite so noble anymore.”

  


“I’ll keep it all in mind, but I can handle myself,” Winter assured him. The older man shrugged, then snapped the reins. The horses whinnied loudly, and the cart pushed forward again. The man waved as the wagon pulled away.

  


“Take care of yourself!” he called. Winter waved, watching the man and his horses disappear from sight and back into the Mistral wilderness. She walked to the bar, stopping when she reached the steps to read the sign.

  


“The Grub Pub,” Winter muttered, grimacing. “Wonderful. At least I know I’m in the right place.” She stepped into the bar, blinking at the bright light enveloping the entire room. A number of people were seated around the bar, and a large amount were roaring at something as they stood by the bartender. A few couples and families were seated in booths to the side, but most of the people in the bar were adults, male and female, and most were clearly drunk. Only the hand of one of the customers was visible from behind the counter; some guest who had drunk way too much. Winter squeezed through the crowd of drunk and rowdy folks, finding a free spot at the end of the bar. The bartender spotted her and made his way over quickly, seeming happy to have an excuse to be away from the others at the bar.

  


“Anything I can do for you, ma’am?” he asked.

  


“ I need a room for the night,” she said with a smile. The bartender shrugged.

  


“Sure. Follow Lu over there, she’ll take you upstairs to your room,” the bartender said, tossing her a pair of keys. Winter scanned the crowd, looking for “Lu” when her gaze fell on a petite, pretty woman with antlers stretching out from her forehead. Winter pushed through the crowd until she reached the woman.

  


“Lu?” she asked. The Faunus woman nodded.

  


“You need a room, then,” she said matter-of-factly. “Follow me!” Lu led Winter upstairs, walking down a narrow, rather dirty hallway, until she stopped at a door with the number 5 carved into the wood. “Here you go! Bar closes at 2:00 a.m. and opens back up at 12:00 p.m.” With that, Lu spun around and sauntered back down the hallway and downstairs.

  


Winter’s room wasn’t much. A single twin bed, a small dresser, a closet, and a side table with a lamp were the only things in the room. A far cry from Winter’s room at the Schnee household, or even her room back at headquarters. But she assumed this would be her only night, and after two days of walking and a night in the woods after being attacked by bandits, not that she was worried about them, she was exhausted. And even the tiny bed looked really comfortable. So she plopped down on the mattress and let her body sink in, sighing at how good it felt to rest after a long day. She closed her eyes, shutting out all the noises from downstairs, and let herself fall into a relaxed sleep.

  


The next day, even Winter’s alarm didn’t wake her up. When she drowsily reached for her watch - an old thing she had found in the recesses of her pack - it read past noon. Winter groaned, throwing the watch back on the table and laying in bed for a few more moments. _I have the whole day. Qrow can wait,_ she thought. But she knew better than that, and if the general were here, she would be ashamed to be sleeping in so late with a mission on the line. So she hopped out of bed and threw on the clothes from yesterday, securing her bag and swinging it onto her back, before grabbing the keys from the bartender and walking down the stairs.

  


The bar was like a totally different place during the day. Only two people sat at the bar, and only one couple was seated in a booth off to the side. Lu was cleaning one of the tables, and the bartender was lazily leaning behind the counter, reading a book. Winter took a seat in front of him, smiling politely as he looked up from his read.

  


“Could I have a glass of champagne, please?” she asked. The bartender raised an eyebrow, but left to get her drink. He came back later, after what seemed like ages to Winter, and handed her a glass filled to the brim. Winter sniffed, looking at it with slight distaste.

  


“What’s that?”

  


“The closest thing we’ve got,” the bartender said, giving her a look that said he could care less if she got champagne or not. Winter sniffed, but obligingly pulled out some Lien and paid the man. The Atlesian Specialist took a swig of the “not-quite-champagne” drink as her eyes darted around. The two men who were at the other end of the bar were turned away, but one of them glanced in her direction twice before whispering something to his friend. Winter turned away. _They’re just a couple of low-lifes,_ Winter told herself. _They’re just not used to seeing new people at the bar. That’s it._ One of the men pushed his chair away, and turned towards Winter, taking a step forward. She stiffened, her fingers gripping her glass so tightly they turned pure white. She moved her right hand towards her belt slowly, reaching for her weapon.

  


“You know, you need something stronger than that!” a gruff voice said from behind her. Winter’s head snapped up as Qrow sat down on the stool to her left, blocking most of her view of the other two men. From behind him, Winter could see the man sit back down in his chair quickly, striking up another conversation with his friend. Winter breathed a long sigh before glaring at Qrow. He looked at her innocently. “What?”

  


“You-just- Argh!” Qrow shrugged before snapping his fingers at the bartender. The bartender simply turned and began concocting something right off the bat. Winter almost rolled her eyes. Of course this was a bar frequented by Qrow. Of course he was a regular here.

  


“It’s about time you showed up,” Winter muttered.

  


“Me? I’ve been here since yesterday,” Qrow said, grinning at her slyly. Winter’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

  


“What?! So have I! Where were you?” she demanded.

  


“I was here!” Winter gave him a dubious look, crossing her arms and glaring at him. “Well, there might have been awhile at night where I was passed out on the floor. But I was here!”

  


“Ugh! I cannot believe you!” Winter hissed, turning back to her drink. The bartender delivered Qrow his drink, shooting a glance at Winter before collecting his Lien from Qrow and returning to his spot farther down behind the bar.

  


“Don’t get mad at me! I’m here the day I told you to meet me!” Qrow reminded her, crossing his own arms and raising his eyebrows at her. “And look at you!”

  


“What?” Winter snapped.

  


“I probably saved you from Mr. Not-So-Subtle over there,” Qrow commented, pointing a thumb in the direction of the two men at the bar. “And look at what you’re wearing! Couldn’t have picked anything that would stand out more!” Winter glanced down at her hideous hiking boots and grey jacket.

  


“What’s wrong with my clothes? I changed out of my military uniform into something more appropriate for this type of journey,” she defended.

  


“Please, you practically scream “Atlas”, Ice Queen,” Qrow scoffed. “No wonder the people here are giving you weird looks. They can tell you’re not from around here. You’re probably lugging around a bunch of money and Dust in that bag of yours too.” Winter’s cheeks flushed.

  


“So what if I am?” she said, lowering her voice so no one other than Qrow would hear.

  


“Well, here’s the thing, Ice Queen. Mistral? The cities are gorgeous, fairly wealthy, make their living on trade and whatnot.”

  


“It’s a country known for its ports,” Winter said in an annoyed tone. “I’m not an idiot.”

  


“Out here,” Qrow continued, “it’s not uncommon for ex-Hunters and bandits to show up, lugging their weapons around. But the people around these swampy woods aren’t the richest. They see someone like you, piled up to her shoulders in Dust and wealth, and they know that not only are you from somewhere other than here, but you can be robbed. Depending on who attacks you, fairly easily.”

  


“I would not be taken down by some low-life bandit,” Winter said in a stone-cold tone. “They would regret it.”

  


“Whatever you say, Specialist,” Qrow muttered, rolling his eyes. “From now on though, you better stay on the down-low. Especially if you’re traveling with me.” That got Winter’s attention.

  


“You invited me here for a reason, Qrow. If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are we doing here?”

  


“We’re just meeting here. Our mission is bigger than this. And because you’ve probably guessed, it has to do a lot with finding out why the attack of Vale was orchestrated.”

  


“What about finding out who did it?” Winter asked.

  


“That’s a smaller part of the bigger picture,” Qrow said, lazily waving a hand around as he took a giant swig of beer. “For now, we have two main goals. One, find the co-conspirators of the person who headed the attack. My sources say they’re in Mistral, which is why you and I are here. We find them, and move our way up the chain to the lead dog in this whole operation thingy.”

  


“And the second goal?”

  


“...Find Ozpin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late update! Again, I upload the story to fanfiction.net usually, so if anyone is interested, the story is much further along than it appears on this site.
> 
> That aside, thank you all for the kind comments, bookmarks, and kudos! I will do my best to be better at uploading. If anyone ever has questions or comments about the story, characters, possible easter eggs (I throw a few in there), etc. feel free to write a comment below!


	4. Fight and Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow and Winter's conversation gets interrupted.

“Ozpin?” Winter asked, furrowing her brows. Qrow glanced away for a moment, and Winter could have sworn he seemed almost sad.

“He disappeared the day Vale was attacked. It’s been weeks, and no one has heard from him since,” Qrow mumbled. Winter’s eyes shot down to his belt loops. As usual, Qrow had his sword-scythe strapped to his back, but this time, a slim cane hung from one of the belt loops. “I’ve kept my eyes open, looked around. He just vanished.” The Huntsman looked up, meeting Winter’s solemn face, and smirked. “But I’m not giving up. Ozpin may seem like some old school teacher, but he’s tough. There’s no way he’s dead. He wouldn’t have given up.” Winter looked away for a moment. She had forgotten how bad the situation was. Professor Ozpin was someone she had respect for, though she did not know him nearly as well as Qrow or the General. She had never seen him fight, but she could tell from Qrow’s stories and General Ironwood’s deference to the professor’s advice that he was probably an incredibly strong Huntsman.

“You’re nieces,” Winter said suddenly. “How are they?” This time it was Qrow who looked away.

“Ruby was fine after a bit of rest. Yang-,” he paused, rubbing the back of his head. “She’ll get there. She’s strong enough to handle this.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Winter stated, trying to find something, anything to say. The air between them had turned from tense to somber. Qrow glanced up at her, his lip curling slightly into a peeved expression.

“Don’t be,” he scoffed. “You had nothing to do with it. If anything, you should worry about yourself.” Again, Winter fell silent.

“Hey.” Winter turned. The two men who had been sitting farther down the bar had gotten up and were now standing right next to Qrow. One had his hand at his waist. Winter froze, but Qrow just lazily turned his head and gazed up at the two men.

“Can we help you? We’re trying to have a conversation here,” he drawled, waving his hand around. The first, a ginger, bearded man with scraggly hair, looked at Qrow with near disgust. He slid a metal axe off his back.

“Never seen you around these parts. And we know outsiders when we see one,” the man said dangerously. Qrow shrugged again.

“Well, I think we’re better customers than you’ve been. Creating a scene and pulling weapons on other customers.” The redhead’s eyes bulged and suddenly the axe’s tip was pointed directly at Qrow’s neck, mere inches away.

“Say it again, outsider,” he snarled. The other man pulled out a scimitar, his face a dead calm. The red haired man took a step forward. “If I had to guess from Miss Rich and Prissy over here, you're from Atlas. Though you definitely look like you’ve rolled around in Mistral swamps for a while.” The man’s gaze shifted to Winter, who stiffened at the man’s hateful look. “Here to take over Mistral like you tried to with Vale?” Winter breathed in quickly, her cheeks flushing. She couldn’t help it; she had guessed, she _knew_ that people from the other kingdoms would be suspicious of anyone from Atlas. Would think that the attack on Vale would have been caused by Atlas. But she hadn’t been prepared for the amount of animosity and hatred she might face. The journey suddenly seemed so much more harrowing.

The metallic ring of a blade sounded through the bar. Qrow was on his feet, his sword intersected with the man’s axe. Winter got to her feet immediately, pulling out her own blade.

“Maybe you should just keep your mouth shut,” Qrow said in a steely tone.

“Hey! No brawling in here!” the bartender shouted. “You wanna fight, take it outside!” Lu had stopped wiping the counter, her eyes widening as she took a couple frantic steps back. The redhead shoved his weapon against Qrow’s, pushing the man backwards.

“Maybe you should scram while you can,” the man snarled. “Before I show you who you’re dealing with.” At that Qrow grinned wildly, and Winter’s eyes widened a bit. As far back as she could remember, Qrow only had two expressions; his stupid smug smirk, and his peeved, angry snarl that was enough to intimidate experienced Hunters. She wasn’t sure she had ever seen him smile so wickedly before.

“Alright then. Bring it,” he said, leaning back. The red haired man raised an eyebrow, but gripped the handle of his weapon and positioned himself, readying to attack. Qrow shot forward, slashing his sword at the man and sending him flying backwards until he hit the wall. The man’s companion, a man with slicked back, blond hair, snapped his head toward Qrow, a mixture of shock and anger in his eyes.

“You’re gonna pay for that, filth,” he growled, dashing forward and pulling out a broadsword. Qrow darted forward too, and the two clashed swords, pulling back only to have at it again. Lu had backed against the wall, nearly whimpering with fright. Winter glanced her way, gesturing impatiently towards the door.

“Go on, get out of here,” she ordered. The young Faunus woman didn’t need to be told twice. She practically sprinted out the door, not taking one look back. Winter turned back to the two men attacking each other. Despite the small space they were confined to, neither seemed to be holding back. They had already shoved two tables out of the way in their brawl, and one chair lay on it’s side, the wood cleanly sliced through. The redhead Qrow had shoved aside was beginning to climb to his feet, his eyes locked onto Qrow. He reached for his axe, gaze still trained on the Huntsman. Winter ran forward and sliced her sabre sideways, which the man narrowly dodged. He darted to the side, repositioning himself with a glare at Winter.

“You friggin’ Atlas bitch!” he spat, slashing his axe toward her. Winter brought up her own blade, trying to block the man’s attack as best as she could. She slid her sword downwards, the man’s weapon following suit, and kicked him hard in the gut. He grunted, putting a hand to his stomach. Winter took the opportunity and jabbed the handle of her sabre into the man’s chest. He stumbled back, dragging his axe along the ground, and Winter followed. She gritted her teeth and stabbed at the man, aiming for his shoulder. Angry as his comments made her, and hateful as this man seemed, Winter didn’t want to kill him. He wasn’t worth it.

But the redhead drunk wasn’t a complete idiot, it seemed. He looked up just in time to see Winter stab her sword at him and deflected her blade with his own weapon. Winter scowled, staring the man down. He gave her a cocky grin and pushed her back before bringing his own weapon down, aimed at the Specialist’s head. Winter focused on her Aura, and a white glyph appeared under her, propelling her backwards quickly. The axe smashed into the floor in the spot where Winter had just been standing. The man stared at his weapon for a moment, confusion filling his face. Winter leaned forward, a deadly calm look on her face, and another glyph, this one black, appeared beneath her feet. She pointed her sabre at the man, and the glyph’s color shifted to a whitish-blue. The glyph launched her at the man, and she slammed into him at full speed. The redhead hadn’t been expecting it, and he fell to the ground, his weapon dropping from his hand and landing a few feet away. He tilted his head back, looking dazed, before Winter delivered a final kick to his head. The man’s eyes rolled back and his head dropped back.

Winter sighed and stepped away from the man’s unconscious body. She turned around, looking to see how Qrow was doing. From her point of view, Qrow had nearly beaten the man. The blonde was on his knees, an angry scowl on his face, and Qrow was standing above him with his sword at the man’s neck.

“Wait!” The bartender leapt out from behind the bar, grabbing one of Qrow’s arms and receiving a glare in return. “Don’t kill this man!” Qrow rolled his eyes and lowered his sword a bit.

“I’m not gonna kill him, though it’d be pretty easy,” Qrow commented. “Scum like him isn’t worth it.” Winter smiled softly, turning her head away from Qrow. She stopped when she saw the blonde man slowly aim his weapon at Qrow. Except it was no longer in its sword form, it was now transformed into a gun. And the gun was aimed at Qrow’s head, whose attention was still on the bartender. Winter didn’t even stop to think; she stabbed her sword into the ground as a new glyph appeared. This glyph’s appearance was slightly different than her normal glyphs, which consisted of the symbol of her family. The new glyph had the same symbol, but over it was the images of swords, spinning in a rapid circle. Pale blue flashes of light floated around her before shifting into a flock of small Nevermores. The Nevermores flew around Winter once before diving straight for the blonde man.

“Argh!” The man was knocked off balance as he was bombarded by the spectral Nevermores. The ghostly birds continued to barrage him until Winter stood up, letting the Summoning glyph disappear as she sheathed her sword. The blonde man was leaning against the bar and groaning, rubbing his head lazily. The bartender was staring at the guy in shock, then looking around at the half-ruined bar.

“Look what you’ve done!” he cried.

“Time to go, Schnee,” Qrow said quickly, grabbing ahold of her arm and pulling her towards the door roughly. Winter quickly grabbed some Lien from her pack, throwing it on one of the undamaged tables.

“Our apologies for the damage!” she called as Qrow dragged her out the door. He didn’t let go until they were at the edge of town.

“Move, Ice Queen, move!” he snapped. Winter yanked her arm out of his grip, giving him a glare.

“Look at what you did!” Winter snapped back, waving a hand at the bar behind him. Qrow glanced at it.

“What? That?! That wasn’t just me, you know. That was you too, and those guys back there.” Qrow shrugged. “Besides, I think we helped them. Those guys were nothing but trouble, and we took care of them. Not to mention, I saved you.” Winter couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“You saved me?!” she said incredulously. “I saved you! That drunk could have shot you!”

“Please, he wouldn’t have shot me. I can handle myself.”

“Hardly!” Winter fumed, her hands on her hips as she glared at the man before her.

“Well, we really shouldn’t stand around here. I doubt they have any suitable police force, but in case those morons back there wake up, or the bartender calls for help, we should get a move on.” Qrow pulled out a flask and took a long gulp before returning it to his pocket. Winter grimaced. Drinking, as usual. Even at a time like this. She turned to the dirt road, the one that the elderly man who had helped her the day before had ridden down as he waved goodbye.

“That way then?” Winter asked.

“About the only way to go. We’re gonna want to avoid the swamps and woods as much as possible.” Winter nodded in agreement.

“Fine, then. Let’s go,” she said. Qrow shrugged his shoulders again, but joined her side, and the two began walking down the road. _This,_ Winter thought, _is where the real journey begins._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos everyone! Here, the next chapter after only a couple days!
> 
> And thank you @Patrice+Koume for helping me realize that I didn't put a link to the fanfiction.net. I will leave the link below for anyone who wants to read further or prefers the formatting of fanfiction.net. The title is the same as the AO3 version, but my username and the summary are different. Again, this fic is actually much farther along, just a little under 30 chapters, on fanfic.net, and I also provide a little more info/easter eggs/ answered questions in the author's notes for anyone who is interested. The story is not done though, far from it actually, so the fanfiction.net version is not a completed version.  
> Thank you again, and please enjoy!
> 
> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11924303/1/Journey-of-an-Ice-Queen-and-dusty-old-Qrow


	5. One Step Backward, One Step Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter and Qrow's journey to Haven has begun, but first they have to survive the forests of Mistral. And each other.

“Are you going to tell me where we are going?” Winter and Qrow had been walking down the same dirt road for hours. The sun was already beginning to set, and for most of the way, the two had walked in silence. Qrow had said little about anything, and Winter occasionally tried to pick up the conversation.  


“That’s sort of a case-by-case thing,” Qrow said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. Winter’s mouth set into a frown, and she curled her fingers around the straps of her backpack so she wouldn’t strangle Qrow out of frustration.  


“Qrow, you brought me on this mission of yours. If this is a need-to-know thing, _I need to know.”_  


“Well, from the information I’ve gathered, the people we’re looking for, their trail leads all the way to Haven.” Winter thought about it, frowning. Haven was Mistral’s secondary academy for training Huntsmen and Huntresses. Like Signal and Beacon, and Atlas’ primary and secondary academies, most young trainees began in Sanctum and worked their way up to Haven. Haven was located on the outer edges of a city, closer to the center of Mistral.  


“Haven? The Academy? What are we looking for, students?” Winter asked dubiously. Qrow shot her a sidelong glance. Her eyebrows raised, her mouth forming a tiny ‘o’. “You’re kidding me.”  


“Listen, whoever these people exactly are, they were able to infiltrate Beacon and the Vytal Festival. I’m 99% sure they pretended to be students to gain access to the buildings. It really wouldn’t be hard. Amazing as the students at the academies are, they tend to be a bit on the naive side.” Winter turned her head away, frowning. She had known that the person who had organized the Beacon attack and some of her associates had been in Vale. From one of the few times she had spoken with Weiss since the Grimm attack, Weiss had mentioned that two of the visiting students that she had thought were friends had left after Yang attacked one of them. But Yang had insisted that she had been tricked by one of the students, that she had been threatened by the student despite every other person, including the rest of Team RWBY, seeing Yang attack the boy, unprovoked. To the end though, Weiss declared that she trusted Yang and that something had happened. Winter wondered if those two students were the ones who had organized the attack. Weiss had mentioned that they were from Haven Academy.  


“Weiss mentioned two students from Haven that she had met,” Winter mused.  


“Yeah, I know who you’re talking about. Yang had a bit of a … situation with the boy,” Qrow said with a nod. “Attacked him on live camera. I talked with her, and she insisted that she wasn’t lying when she claimed he attacked her first. Course she could be crazy.” So maybe it had been that team. If Yang had even insisted on her innocence to her closest friends and family, she probably wouldn’t be lying.  


“You think she was crazy?” Winter asked, almost in disbelief. Qrow shrugged.  


“Said she wasn’t lying. It’s all that makes sense, isn’t it?”  


“Maybe. It could have been set up though. Maybe someone was helping this student pull it off, or it was someone’s Semblance.” Qrow glanced her over, a tiny smile playing at his lips. “What?”  


“You know, for a strict Atlesian Specialist, you sometimes look at things with a bit more of an optimistic, open mind,” he commented. “You’re sure better than Jimmy anyways.”  


“The General is a good man, who does his best to carry out justice with fairness and equality.” Qrow snorted.  


“Yeah, I know. Doesn’t change the fact that sometimes he still makes stupid decisions.”  


“Look who’s talking!” Winter fired back. “You always complain about others, like the General. Yet you’re drunk constantly, and you barely show an ounce of respect for any person deserving of it. You even distrusted your own niece!” Qrow’s head snapped towards her, his red eyes blazing.  


“At least I don’t go around pretending I’m all “mightier-than-thou”, boohooing about my strict father but praising a strict boss, with the gall to actually _create_ a sentient robot which ends up being a little girl, and causing that little girl’s death!” Winter recoiled, her face losing its color. If they weren’t walking, and if they didn’t have a fairly tight schedule for reaching Haven, Winter would have stopped, would have walked away. No, she was stronger than that. She avoided Qrow’s glaring gaze, staring at the road ahead of her and giving it her full attention. She had nothing to say to his comment. She suddenly felt exhausted. She was tired of bickering, and she didn’t know what there was left to say. Winter quickened her pace ever so slightly, so she wouldn’t have to walk shoulder to shoulder with Qrow. Being near him would surely make her sick.  


But his comment wouldn’t leave her mind. The part about her father and the general was hurtful enough, but what made Winter feel rotten to the core was the comment on Atlas’ sentient AI; Penny. She had known a fair deal about Penny; nearly all ranking Atlas officials knew that Penny was actually a robot, one of Atlas’ finest and most advanced achievements. Winter only knew bits and pieces of Penny’s origin. She knew Penny had been created using the Aura of someone else. Who exactly that person had been, or how it had been achieved were two things Winter did not know. More that General Ironwood had not shared with her. Winter wanted to scream. Or puke.  


As she thought about Penny, her thoughts drifted to her sister once again. Weiss and the rest of her team had known Penny fairly well, and had been devastated over her death, Winter’s heart broke when Weiss told her, with the most crestfallen and miserable face Winter had ever seen, that Penny’s death had been accidently caused by another close friend, the champion student Pyrrha Nikos. The entire event had been broadcast live, and afterwards the broadcast had been jammed by a mysterious woman, who hinted at the upcoming attack and taunted Ozpin and Ironwood. Pyrrha had broken down, and Weiss had ended her story with her sadly stating that the awful video of Pyrrha and Penny’s incident had been the last time Weiss had seen either of her friends again.  


So much death and violence. They were just kids. True, they were on the verge of adulthood, but in many ways they were still children. They were very much still students, and they had witnessed and experienced chaos, death, and grief at way too early of an age. Winter remembered her own childhood, when she had unknowingly noticed multiple employees disappearing, when a few close relatives would refuse to visit, when some of her family’s closest friends were injured or outright killed by the White Fang.  


Qrow had remained silent since their argument. Winter wanted to turn her head to look at him, but she didn’t. She didn’t want to see his scorn or his anger, and she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. So they carried on in a somber, tense silence for hours. It felt like an eternity to Winter, but when she tiredly looked up at the sky a long while later, the sun had nearly set. The sky was a dark magenta color, shot with streaks of pale yellow and orange, disappearing into a deep purple color. A few stars were already beginning to show. Neither had said anything, but Winter knew one of them would have to speak up.  


“We should stop, set up camp,” Winter said slowly. “It’s getting dark-,”  


“Good observation,” Qrow chimed in sarcastically. Winter’s cheeks burned with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.  


“So the smart thing to do would be to stop and rest for the night!” she snapped. “Is that fine with you?” Her hands clenched into fists at her side and she took a few deep breaths, trying to remain collected. It was a few moments before Qrow answered.  


“Yes, that’s alright with me,” he said quietly. Winter breathed out a slow sigh.  


“Good. Let’s set it up over here. The forest opens up a bit,” Winter said sharply, walking towards the trees. The slow steps of Qrow echoed behind her, and Winter almost smiled. For once, she felt like she had actually won against him. Served him right.  


Less than an hour later, the two Hunters had a steady fire going, and Winter had managed to find decent enough blankets and items for sleeping. She hadn’t packed anything for a tent, something she hadn’t thought of when she had left her base back in Atlas. Qrow hadn’t asked for anything to sleep on, and Winter was reluctant to give him anything. She had finally offered him a blanket, but he had stoutly refused, and that was the end of that. Winter was not in the mood for pushing him that night. So they sat in the same silence they had walked in. Winter pulled a heavy blanket around, leaning her back up against a tree as she stared at the fire. When she raised her eyes for a brief moment, looking across the fire, Qrow was staring at her. She immediately averted her eyes.  


“Schnee,” Qrow began, breaking the silence.  


“I’m tired, Qrow,” Winter muttered, closing her eyes and leaning her head back.  


“Schnee!” Winter’s eyes snapped open as she glared across the fire.  


“What, Qrow?” she growled.  


“About what I said earlier-,” Winter’s mind flashed back to Penny, the image of the broken girl she had seen replaying in her mind.  


“I really would rather not talk about that,” she muttered.  


“Well, too bad, because I want to say something,” Qrow said, snapping his flask out and taking a long drink before turning back to Winter. “I may have been … a little out of line earlier with what I said.” Winter kept her gaze turned, still refusing to look at him. “It wasn’t right. Saying you caused the death of that girl was uncalled for, and it was pretty despicable, even for me, to say.” Winter finally looked up at him, meeting his gaze. “That girl’s death was an awful accident. If it was the fault of anyone’s, it’s the person who caused everything in Vale and destroyed Beacon. It’s not on you, it’s not even on Jimmy.”  


“I’m not in the mood for games, Qrow,” Winter mumbled.  


“I’m not lying.” Winter raised her head, staring at him for a moment. She wasn’t sure if she believed him. But he continued on anyways, now staring at the fire with a distant look in his eye.  


“My niece knew the girl too,” he said. “Watched her friend get torn apart. I don’t know what amazed me more; the fact that she is doing her best to move on, or the fact that she protected and stood up for her friend that tore apart the robot girl. Pyrrha Nikos.” His eyes slanted downwards, and he frowned. He actually looked sad, and Winter was scared to ask about the Pyrrha Nikos girl, the one who’s face had been the face of fame, turned the face of a murderer, if one counted ripping apart a sentient robot as murder. Winter couldn’t be sure. But given Qrow’s pause, and the saddened look on his face at the mention of the redheaded girl, Winter could guess at what happened to her. Another one of Weiss’ friends. She had been trying to comfort Weiss the few times she had communicated with her, and she hadn’t even known how much her little sister had lost, how much she had endured.  


“I’m sorry. For your niece,” Winter said, quickly adding on, “Both of them.” Qrow glanced at her, a rueful smile on his lips.  


“Again, not your fault. And I don’t think anything you had done could have prevented it from happening. Even old Oz wasn’t strong enough to save Vale.” Winter had felt a wave of anger until he voiced the last statement, and she couldn’t help but admit it was probably true. She prided herself on her skill, on her ranking in the Atlesian army. But Professor Ozpin was something else, and if he could not have prevented it all from happening, would Winter have had any better luck? “I’m sorry too. For your little sister.”  


“I … it could have been worse. She’s fine, and she’s safe, and that’s all that matters.”  


“Is it though?” The image of a fairly tall, pale man with snow white hair flashed into her mind. Winter’s mouth formed a grim, straight line as she clenched her teeth.  


“I am extremely thankful that Weiss is safe.”  


“But you’re mad.”  


“I’m not mad at Weiss!”  


“Not Weiss, idiot. Old Papa Schnee!” Winter could have sworn her heart missed a beat, and she internally chastised herself. _Don’t be ridiculous. Weiss is safe, even with Father. He would never …_ She stopped her thoughts there.  


“What do you know about my father?” Winter asked Qrow in annoyance. The older man leaned back, slipping his arms behind his head.  


“I heard he actually came to Vale and picked up your little sister. Grabbed her and flew as fast as he could back to Atlas before anything else happened.”  


“Yes, he did. Your point?” She asked in a clipped tone. Qrow raised any eyebrow.  


“Why are you so defensive about the subject? Why do you freeze up whenever I mention your father?”  


“I don’t-,”  


“I admit, you hide it fairly decently, but even an ice-cold person like you shows emotion.” Qrow leaned forward, propping his head against his knees. “So, I take it your relationship with the old man is not exactly sympatico at the moment?” Winter hesitated, wringing her hands together. She hated saying anything, but they were alone in the marshes with no way to contact anyone. Might as well spend some of the night talking.  


“My father… he’s not a completely awful person. Everyone always views him as this stone cold man with Lien-filled pockets and a secret agenda. They see him as a businessman out to make money, even through less flattering means if needed.” Qrow waited, his attention solely on Winter, and he lazily motioned for her to continue when she paused. “Well, sometimes things were a little on the 'less flattering' side. But what only I, Weiss, and a few close workers and friends understood was how much he went through. For years, since even Weiss was a toddler, he’s had to deal with raids and attacks from the White Fang. Stores would be ransacked, Dust crates stolen, employees were even killed. Killed! I had a few relatives even who disappeared. And my father lived through it all, endured it all, and kept the company afloat. He kept our family alive. He was cold, and distant, and when things got really bad in the company and the amount of attacks and raids increased, he was really hard on Weiss and I. We felt like we kept disappointing him, and he didn’t usually try to hide his feelings around us. Eventually, the two of us, we stopped caring.” Winter didn’t know why she kept talking, why she shifted the conversation to Weiss and herself, but now she was rambling and she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, stop. “Both of us were expected to help Father and eventually take over the company. Obviously, it passed to me as the eldest.”  


“Except here you are, a prim and proper Atlas Specialist, and Daddy dearest is still taking care of the family business,” Qrow chimed in, a tiny grin on his face. Winter grimaced and glared at Qrow, silencing him with a look. He lifted his hands in surrender and politely folded them in his lap, waiting for her to go on.  


“I had little interest in continuing the family tradition. I wanted more in my life. I wanted to be a Huntress. Of course, at Atlas, it’s the norm to eventually join the military. But I grew to enjoy it, and I soon found out about the Atlesian Specialists.” She looked him dead in the eye. “I’m sure you know the rest about me. I gave up my right as heir, and it passed on to Weiss. But she didn’t want to take over the company either. She went one step further; she left Atlas altogether to attend Beacon. It made Father furious.” Winter laughed at that, remembering the day she had wished Weiss goodbye, and stifled a triumphant smile at her father’s barely contained anger and annoyance. She stopped when she noticed Qrow still staring at her, and smoothed out her blanket.  


“Well, it’s a good thing you didn’t become some company CEO. Because despite your short temper, you’re one hell of a Huntress.” Her hands froze for a second and her eyes snapped up to look at Qrow. He had his eyes closed, and looked like he was half asleep, leaning against the tree. But she had heard the words correctly, she knew. She didn’t say anything, but inside she felt a wave of gratitude, and relief. For years, all she had done was try to get away from the normal Schnee life. It felt so liberating to hear that the life she had chosen was better, that she was good at her job. She pulled the blanket around her, laying her head in the crook of her arm and closing her eyes, hoping Qrow knew that his comment meant a lot. “And Ice Queen?”  


“Yes, Qrow?” she mumbled.  


“I’m sorry.” Winter shifted, keeping her eyes closed. Neither one of them had to say anything; they knew what he was talking about. They fell back into silence, and Winter was asleep within ten, fifteen minutes.  


The fire was dying slowly, still bright enough to create a little halo of light around the tiny clearing. Qrow was pushing at the few logs left in the fire with a stick. He kept thinking of Winter’s face, of how concerned she had been over her sister, and how nervous even the mention of her father made her. For as long as he had known the fiery Specialist, he had never seen her reveal her emotions, certainly not to the degree she just had. All he ever saw when they met was a strict, obedient soldier, definitely strong and even brave, but short-tempered and closed-off. When he glanced up at Winter, she was sleeping fitfully, tossing to one side, the blanket haphazardly thrown to the side. The Huntsman got up, grabbing the blanket and covering Winter back up with it.  


“Qrow.” He stopped, shifting his gaze to Winter, expecting her slate blue eyes to be glaring at him. But she was still asleep, her long white bangs covering half her face. Qrow’s eyebrows raised, and he lightly poked the woman in the shoulder. She grunted, mumbling what sounded like his name once more, but she didn’t wake up or say anything else after that. Qrow’s gaze softened a bit, and he pulled the blanket a bit higher before returning to his spot by the fire, watching the flames die down to not much more than glowing embers.  


“Night, Ice Queen,” he said softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kudos and bookmarks! And happy holiday season! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I've been increasingly busy this month, but I'm doing my best to get some more chapters out soon. And again, for those who don't want to wait, this story is much further along on fanfiction.net under the same name. If anyone ever has any questions about the story, please feel free to ask in the comments. 
> 
> My main priority has been and will be this story, but I've debated writing some other RWBY fics, including Qrowin ones and possibly other characters. Let me know if you'd like to see some oneshots or short fics about other RWBY characters and or Qrow and Winter.


	6. The Mission Grows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter and Qrow continue on their journey, getting closer to the city of Mistral. Unexpected circumstances prompt Qrow to reveal some of Ozpin's secrets to Winter.

The next day, Winter groggily woke up to a hand shaking her shoulder roughly. Qrow stood above, already packed and ready to go. Winter hastily gathered her things and grabbed a small nutrition bar from her bag. It would have to do for her breakfast, since Qrow seemed insistent on remaining on some sort of schedule. They were back to walking the same road they had been walking for the past day. Winter wished she could have taken her airship the entire way. But she doubted anyone in Mistral would allow an Atlesian airship to land near any city, especially a young Atlesian Specialist who was suspiciously alone and on her own, private mission.  


Their conversation the night before seemed to have smoothed things over. Winter didn’t know if it was temporary, or if perhaps some respect had been earned on both sides from the night before. Winter didn’t dare to think it was the beginning of friendship; the word seemed too foreign a concept to apply to Qrow. Especially when Qrow casually suggested she should train more that morning.  


“Pardon me?” she exclaimed, her eyebrows raising. Qrow didn’t turn to look at her, just kept his gaze ahead, slightly hunched over.  


“I’m just saying.” He picked at his beard a moment, then stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I mean, you were alright against those idiots back at that bar. You’re quite skilled with your Semblance. But you could still use some work.”  


“I was trained by some of the top military leaders and Specialists at the Atlesian Academy!”  


“Doesn’t mean you stop learning the moment you graduate. A day in the field is worth a week in class. Seeing as how you do a lot of walking around and acting formal over actual fighting, training couldn’t hurt.”  


“I do train, Qrow,” Winter growled. Qrow shrugged.  


“Just saying,” he said nonchalantly.  


“How about you keep your mouth shut instead?” He shrugged again, as if he couldn’t care less about her opinion on the matter. Winter held back a retort. They fell into silence again, for a while, continuing their walk. Winter almost felt tired from staring at the same, dirt road for hours on end. By early afternoon, Winter noticed Qrow looked almost uneasy. He had his hands shoved in his pockets, shoulders tensed, and eyes darting to the tree repeatedly. Winter debated whether she should say something, ask him what was wrong, but decided against it. Qrow wouldn’t appreciate it, nor would he ever tell her anything willingly like that.  


“Today should probably be our last day on this forsaken road,” Qrow said later that day. The sky was pink from the setting sun, which had just disappeared behind the mountains in the distance.  


“Good,” Winter said. “We’ll be entering the city tomorrow then?”  


“At least the outer edges of a city,” Qrow replied.  


“A city?” Winter questioned, narrowing her eyes.  


“There’s a smaller city between us and Haven’s location.”  


“Great. And you didn’t tell me because?”  


“You never asked. Besides, Ice Queen, we’ll get there. Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Worrying won’t get us there any faster.” Winter threw her hands in the air.  


“Why do I even bother with you!” she growled. Qrow merely turned to her, winked, and then turned back away.  


“I’m going to go find a place to set up camp,” he offered, already walking away to the tree line and disappearing into the shadows. Winter sighed and waited in the middle of the road. A crow cawed above her and flew away, towards the forest. _Where are you, Qrow?_ She wondered. Surely it wasn’t that hard to find a place to sleep for one night. Out of nowhere, the sound of an explosion filled the air, and a wild screaming followed. Winter’s head snapped up, trying to figure out which direction the screaming was coming from. _Sounds like...east? No, north. Definitely north._ Winter began running, pulling out her sabre. _Qrow can find me soon enough. There could be people in trouble._ Winter sped through the forest, her glyphs appearing beneath her and forming a glowing, white path that increased her speed. The trees began to thin out, and Winter skidded to a halt and stabbed her sabre into the ground to stop herself. A cliff jutted out less than five feet away, looking out onto the mountains, another section of the forest, and a tiny clearing below.  


The screaming had stopped, and transformed into laughing. Actually, the person was guffawing, dying from laughter from the sounds of it. Winter’s eyes fell below on the light of a tiny fire, far beneath her. A young woman, probably a teen girl, was sitting by the fire, her head thrown back as she jabbed an arm at the person next to her. The dark haired person’s words didn’t reach Winter’s ears, but the ginger haired girl began jabbering away again. There were two other people around the fire, sitting opposite the dark haired and ginger teens. Winter was about to turn away, not seeing any trouble, when her eyes fell on one of the four people, realizing that she recognized the girl. The other three seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t remember seeing their faces in person ever. The other person, however, had a head of dark hair, and a bright red cloak wrapped around her like a blanket. Qrow’s niece and Weiss’ teammate and friend, Ruby Rose. Winter stepped back quickly, as if seeing Ruby Rose was the same as seeing a ghost.  


What were these four doing here? Why wasn’t Ruby at home? Qrow had said both Ruby and her sister had been hurt. Didn’t she have a father who was worried, a sister who needed her? Shouldn’t she be trying to stay safe at home instead of out and abroad in a different kingdom during a time of tension and possible war?  


“Ice Queen, where did you go?” Winter turned as Qrow began to push his way through the trees. “Why the hell would you run off-,”  


“Did you know your niece was, what, less than a mile away?” Winter asked abruptly, staring him directly in the eye. Qrow stared back, setting his jaw. The look said it all. “Qrow, I-i don’t even know where to begin.”  


“Listen Ice Queen, I can explain,” he said, staring at her with an expression that said he was about to spill a secret.  


“I hope so,” Winter replied, trying to remain calm. “I know you haven’t told me everything Qrow, but I don’t see why you couldn’t tell me this?”  


“To be honest, it didn’t seem that important. And…,” he paused, his gaze softening as he glanced down the cliff at the four kids below. “I’ve just been trying to watch out for her.”  


“So why is she and a bunch of Beacon freshmen out in the middle of the swamps of Mistral?” Qrow ran a hand through his hair, looking anywhere but Winter. She raised an eyebrow. “Qrow?”  


“I may or may not have told my niece that the enemy was at Haven.”  


“Why would you tell her that?” Winter asked, biting back the shock and frustration in her.  


“So she would decide whether she wanted to go or not. And take her friends with her.”  


“And again, why?”  


“They lost their friends because of the people we’re hunting. If anyone deserved a chance to find them, they did.” Winter frowned. She wanted to argue, but Qrow’s rationalization made sense. If someone had hurt Weiss, Winter would want to personally hunt that person down themselves.  


“So why are we here if your niece and her makeshift team are on it?” Winter asked. Qrow snorted.  


“Besides the fact that they’re emotionally charged kids who haven’t even finished half of their time at Beacon?” he said wryly, raising an eyebrow. “There’s more to this than just a couple of people who ordered an attack on Beacon. I’ve been on a mission for Ozpin and Jimmy for months trying to figure out more of the plan. After Amber was attacked-,”  


“Who’s Amber?” Winter asked.  


“I’ll tell you when we’re back at our own camp. I’d like to keep Ruby unaware of the fact that we’re here, if you don’t mind,” he grumbled. Winter reluctantly stepped away from the cliff and followed Qrow back to the site he had made for the night. A half an hour later, a fire was going, and Winter was sitting across from Qrow as he told her his long story, his mission Ozpin had given him, and something Winter never thought would have existed.  


“Qrow, you just told me a fairy tale.”  


“Believe me or not. It’s true,” Qrow said with a shrug. “Very few know about the Maidens because we, the Brotherhood, have protected them and kept it all a secret. For reasons that should be obvious now that Amber’s dead, too many people would go after the Maidens if they knew about the power they hold.”  


“Magic. It’s absurd,” Winter said with a shake of her head.  


“So is creating a sentient robot with an Aura,” Qrow fired back. “Trust me, you’re not the first to think this whole is crazy. I didn’t believe it for a long time, until I witnessed it firsthand.” Winter thought about the idea. As crazy as it seemed, Qrow appeared to be dead serious about this, which was a rare occurrence. If he claimed to have seen one of the Maidens, he was probably telling the truth.  


“One Maiden was killed. That’s how the woman got so much power and killed Miss Nikos and fought off Ozpin,” Winter said slowly. Qrow nodded. “You said there were 4. You know who the other 3 are?”  


“For the most part, yes. We’re given enough information on them to know who they are and keep an eye out for them if we think they’re in danger. But we also let them live their own lives. Their powers are kept a secret from the world, so they don’t have to be guarded every second of the day.”  


“We need to find the other 3, then. Right?”  


“I’m glad you said that,” Qrow said with a lopsided grin. “Because I wanted to change our … mission parameters, if you will.” Winter sighed, rolling her eyes before sitting up straight and clapping her hands together.  


“Fine, Qrow. What’s being changed?”  


“I think that, for the most part, we can let the kids take care of the kids. They’ll find the people working for the enemy.” Qrow’s red eyes flared with a solemn determination. “We need to find the other 3 Maidens.”  


“The Brotherhood,” Winter said with realization, eyes widening as she began to guess Qrow’s plan.  


“The Brotherhood cannot operate anymore if we can’t communicate. The destruction of the CCT has changed everything. The enemy sought out the Fall Maiden. They went after her again and again, until they had stolen all of her power. A Maiden’s power is hard to be rivaled, and it’s completely different from any Dust-powered machine or Hunter’s Semblance. To think that our enemy only needed, or only wanted, just one Maiden’s power is wishful thinking.”  


“You think someone’s going to go after the other Maidens,” Winter guessed.  


“We know, because of the attack on Amber, that our enemy doesn’t need to kill the Maidens to gain their power, though they certainly aren’t above it. They have something that can steal the Maiden’s power.”  


“What is it?” Winter asked.  


“I don’t know for sure. When I tried to save Amber, the woman had something that stuck to Amber’s face. By the time I got to her, Amber was physically scarred and left in a coma. I severed whatever was sucking the power out of her, but half of her power had already been stolen. And that didn’t stop the woman from infiltrating Beacon to find Amber.”  


“So we find the other Maidens before anyone else can. Easier said than done, but doable, I’m sure,” Winter said with a nod.  


“That’s an understatement. With the state of things, the Maidens have hopefully gone into hiding.”  


“Say we find the Maidens. What then? We take them with us? Keep them somewhere hidden and protected? Ask them to work with us?” Qrow rubbed the back of his head, giving her a lazy, nonchalant smile.  


“I’m still sort of working out the kinks to this plan. I was thinking we’d figure that out once we actually found a Maiden.”  


“How you ever graduated Beacon Academy is beyond me,” Winter muttered. Qrow grinned, then reached into a pocket and pulled out a thin piece of paper. He held it out to Winter, who took it, turning it over carefully in her hand. It was a photograph of a young woman, probably in her twenties. She had olive toned skin, black hair cut into a pixie cut, and slate blue eyes that looked very tired. She looked like your everyday woman. Nothing about her really screamed ‘magical’.  


“That’s one of the current Maidens. At least, she was last I checked,” Qrow amended. Winter frowned. They were searching for people who were probably being hunted down. For all they knew, this woman was dead.  


“How do we know they’re all in Mistral?” she asked.  


“To be honest, they probably all aren’t. The Maidens move around a lot. They usually won’t stay in one place more than a month. Maybe a year tops, if they really feel the need. But a Maiden’s main duty is to help and protect the people of Remnant. So they usually travel around, looking for people in need of their help.”  


“Indeed. In that case, we should hurry before our enemies find them first,” Winter said, standing up. Qrow looked up at her, raising an eyebrow.  


“We have to rest at some point, Schnee,” he said, closing his eyes.  


“I know. But before we do, I think we should get some training in.” Qrow’s eyes snapped open, and Winter almost wished she hadn’t said those words. “You mentioned training earlier. Does the offer still stand?”  


“It was more of a suggestion than an offer,” Qrow said, but he was already climbing to his feet, pulling out his scythe from behind his back. “But I think we have time.” He grinned at her, the same wicked smile he had given the two men at the bar. Winter pulled out her own sabres. “Don’t hold back,” Qrow added.  


“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Winter said with a tiny smile of her own, and shot forward. Her sabres instantly clashed with Qrow’s sword, and he shoved her back, slashing the air with his weapon. Winter jumped back, kicking up dirt as she skidded back a few feet. Qrow aimed his sword at her, and Winter jumped high into the air as a bullet whizzed beneath her. When she landed, Qrow was still grinning, already the picture of a triumphant winner.  


“Come on, Ice Queen,” he drawled. “Surely that’s not all? If you want to train, you’ve got to put up a fight!” Winter clenched her teeth and focused on her Semblance. The Summoning glyph appeared beneath her, and the tiny Nevermores began to swarm around her. _I hope he doesn’t think he’ll be able to just stand there the whole time,_ Winter thought as the Nevermores suddenly aimed towards Qrow and began to bombard him. Winter heard him grunt. She could see him covering his face and trying to cut through the Nevermores. Taking the opportunity, Winter thought of her glyphs and the pattern she wanted them in, and immediately the glowing white line of glyphs appeared. 

She ran along them, almost laughing at the sudden exhilaration her newfound speed gave her, before lunging at Qrow.  


Qrow looked up through the veil of Nevermore apparitions, bringing his sword up to deflect Winter’s attack. Their swords met again, and Qrow shedded her sword before slicing his upwards, catching her sabre’s hilt and knocking it away from her, leaving Winter with her secondary dagger. Qrow tried to stifle a smile at Winter’s face. The woman looked almost bewildered at her empty hand, staring at the lone dagger. He brought his own sword up, aiming the gun at Winter. In a flash, Winter stabbed her blade into the ground. Ice shards shot up, spreading around the clearing in a flurry. Qrow moved forward, bringing his sword down on the ice and cutting it in one, clean swipe. Too late, Qrow realized the ice wasn’t just part of the attack, it doubled as a distraction too.  


Winter had somehow ended up behind him, and she brought her knee up and kicked, shoving him forward. Qrow stumbled, trying to find his footing again. Just as he turned, Winter slammed the pommel of her dagger into his cheek. Qrow fell backwards, rubbing his chin and groaning. Winter froze mid-strike.  


“Are you okay?” she asked. “Did I hurt you?” Qrow laughed, not only at her sudden concern, but at the thought that one hit like that could possible take him out.  


“I don’t go down that easily, Ice Queen.” He rubbed his jaw, wincing a bit. It would be sore there by tomorrow. “Though I can tell you didn’t pull your punches.” Winter straightened up, quickly putting her two swords back together and sheathing the weapon before dusting her pants off.  


“Yes, well. I might have gotten a bit carried away.”  


“Sure,” Qrow said with a snicker, before he slumped against a tree. Winter raised an eyebrow.  


“That’s it?”  


“It’s just a bit of sparring, Schnee. We can’t fight until we pass out everyday, especially if we’re planning on fighting our way out of tough situations in the near future.” He pulled out his flask, chugging down the liquid inside. “So get some rest. We leave bright and early tomorrow, and I plan on getting to that city before nightfall.” Winter nodded, finding her pack and lying down next to it, staring at the stars above her. They were beautiful out here in these mountain ranges and swamplands. She could never see many stars in Atlas. Too many cities and bright lights everywhere. Her mind flashed to the woman from Qrow’s photograph. Qrow hadn’t even mentioned which Maiden she was. It didn’t matter much though. As long as they found this mystery woman first. Winter knew what would happen if they didn’t.


	7. A Minor Inconvenience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter and Qrow have a little trouble making it into the city, and realize they may have to sneak in to avoid trouble with the authorities.

“Schnee, we’re entering the city.” Winter looked up, lifting the hood of her jacket away from her face. Modern, though rustic, buildings had appeared before them, as if they had sprung up from the ground. A few archways with small booths barred the way, forcing visitors to check in before gaining access to the city. Most likely a new addition after the attack on Vale. Winter guessed that the Mistral council wanted to keep foreigners, especially Atlesians, out.  
  
Earlier that morning, Qrow had again woken Winter up, and insisted on leaving early. She briefly wondered whether his niece and her friends had left, and if this was the cause for his persistence on leaving. Nevertheless, Winter obliged, quickly packing up her things. She offered the suggestion of training once more before they reached the city, but Qrow had turned down the offer.  
  
“Shouldn’t we see each other at our full strength, so we know what we can handle?” Winter had asked. Qrow snorted.  
  
“Three things, Ice Queen,” Qrow said. “One, there’s no reason to use our full strength, especially since we may need it later on. Two, I can handle pretty much anything. And three, you haven’t showed me everything you can do either.”  
  
  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
  
“Your Summoning. You’ve only used it a few times around me, and you’ve Summoned the same things over and over. I know you can Summon more than a few birds.” Winter frowned.  
  
“If you know already, there’s no point in my Summoning anything bigger. Besides, it takes a lot of energy.” Winter glanced at his sword, hanging on his back as usual. “You didn’t use your weapon in its scythe form.”  
  
“If you already know, there’s no point in me using it,” Qrow retorted with a grin. Winter rolled her eyes, and the two fell back into mild talk about the journey, and when they would reach the city.  
  
Here they were. After days of walking, they had finally made it here.  
  
“So,” Qrow drawled, breaking Winter out of her thoughts. “Ideas for getting past the main gates?” Winter narrowed her eyes, peering at the gates. It seemed that one would have to go through and speak with a guard, possibly a member of the police, before being allowed to enter.  
  
“You don’t think we can just ask to enter?” Winter questioned, knowing how naive she sounded. Qrow scoffed.  
  
“Please, you look like Atlas threw up on you.” Winter began to protest but he shushed her. “Besides, we have no good story. They’ve probably been told to keep a look out for anyone from Atlas, and I don’t think my being from Vale will help. We need to sneak in.” Qrow’s eyes twinkled, and his eyebrows reached his temple. “And I may have an idea on how to do it.” Winter grimaced. She could think of no way to get into the city legally, so if Qrow had an idea, it was probably illegal, very bad, and most likely dangerous.  
  
“And your idea is?” Winter asked slowly.  
  
“You can summon defeated enemies, right?”  
  
“ … Yes.”  
  
“Well, maybe you could provide a distraction,” he said, waggling his eyebrows. Winter’s head snapped towards him.  
  
“You want me to use my Semblance to attack people? People who are probably police? Maybe even Hunters?” she asked in disbelief.  
  
“Not attack,” Qrow scoffed. “Just … distract.” Winter kept staring at him. He sighed. “Come on, do you have a better plan?”  
  
“You can’t think of another way to get us into the city?”  
  
“Well, I have a way I could get in, but that would leave you out here,” Qrow said. Winter gritted her teeth and crossed her arms, giving Qrow the most annoyed expression she could muster. Finally, after seeing Qrow’s own expression of determination, she sighed.  
  
“I cannot believe I am about to do this,” she muttered, rubbing her temple. Qrow grinned, clapping Winter roughly on the shoulder.  
  
“That’s the spirit, Ice Queen.”  
  
“Stand back, Qrow,” Winter muttered, furrowing her brows in concentration. Her usual flock of Nevermores probably wouldn’t be enough. But Summoning more than one of anything larger would take a lot of energy. Best to probably stick with one Grimm. Her Summoning glyph appeared beneath her, large and glowing. The swords on the glyph began to spin faster, and the pale outline of a figure appeared by Winter. It grew larger, surpassing Winter in height and width, pale, spiky fur covering its spectral body.  
  
The policewoman lounging in the tollbooth at the gate woke up with a start, the ground beneath her feet beginning to rumble. She poked her head out the booth’s window, tipping her hat to see what was causing the mini earthquake. Her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped open. Roaring and grunting before her was a giant Ursa. It reared up on its hind legs and began to batter at the gate, letting out a rumbling growl. The policewoman grabbed her walkie-talkie, screeching into it rapidly and calling for backup while simultaneously leaping out of the booth as the Ursa smashed its enormous paw into the booth. Chunks of metal and concrete flew everywhere just as four more policemen joined the woman, whipping out their guns and firing at the creature.  
  
Meanwhile, Qrow and Winter skirted the edge of the gate, running to the section of the gate that was farthest from the police and the destruction caused by Winter’s incorporeal Ursa. Winter stumbled after Qrow, her forehead covered in so much sweat that her bangs were plastered to right side of her face. She panted, trying to remain focused on keeping her Ursa from fading into nothingness, while also getting past the gate and its guard. A groan slipped from her lips and she stumbled again. Qrow shot a look at her, giving her a once over, before pulling her right arm over his shoulders, and slipping an arm around her waist.  
  
“Come on, Ice Queen. Don’t give up on me now,” he growled, half-dragging her as he ran. “I need you to keep it up. Just a little farther.” Winter pressed her lips together, holding back another groan. She stumbled after Qrow, leaning heavily against him. When they reached the gate, Winter glanced up at it with unconcealed horror. How were they going to scale the massive gate?  
  
“Okay Schnee, either you use your glyphs to give us a boost up-,” Winter shot Qrow a glare, and he held up his hands. “- Or, we have to climb this. And you have to keep your Summon up until we’re over this gate.” Winter bit her lip, weighing the pros and cons in her head. Shouting erupted to their left, and the muffled roar of the Summoned Ursa followed. Qrow’s expression shifted into an impatient one. “Not to be rude or pushy, but we don’t have a lot of time to think about a decision here.” Winter gritted her teeth and shrugged Qrow’s arm off.  
  
“We’ll climb,” she mumbled, grabbing at the metal designs on the gate and pulling herself up. Beads of sweat slipped down her cheeks. Qrow gave her a dubious look, pulling himself up after her.  
  
“Schnee, are you sure you can make it?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “You-,”  
  
“Shut up, Qrow!” Winter snapped, continuing her climb. By now her breath was coming out in heavy hisses of pain, but Winter kept pushing. _I’m an Atlesian Specialist. I’ve been through rougher than this! I will not be weak! _She almost started at her last thought, realizing that was something more similar to one of her father’s sayings than any military motto. _A Schnee is not weak. You must stay strong, so your enemies won’t underestimate you. You want to intimidate your enemies. _Winter shook the thoughts out of her head and kept climbing, bracing her feet against the interlocking metal designs that flowed in a swirling pattern. The noises of the battle at the other end of the long gate had not died down yet, and it sounded like more police had joined to defeat the Ursa. Or worse, a Hunter. Just what they needed. Hunters and the authorities of another kingdom to see them illegally scaling their gate. Winter could feel the Summon growing weaker, could feel her power weakening and her Aura slowly drain …  
  
Winter gasped loudly, and something inside of her rebounded. Qrow’s head whipped around to face her, his face alert in a fierce and almost concerned way. Winter could tell the Ursa was gone. She had pushed herself too far, and had too quickly drained her Aura. Before too long, the police would notice them, and there would be no Summoned Grimm to distract them. Winter’s grasp on the metal bars began to loosen, and she grunted in pain, feeling fatigued. She laid her head against the cool metal, her muscles protesting. _Keep moving, keep moving. _Her right hand grasped at one of the gate’s metal rods, but the sweat on her hand made everything seem slippery. She couldn’t get a good enough hold, and she was still exhausted; it felt like a hassle to keep her eyes open. Something grabbed her wrist and yanked her up.  
  
“Schnee!” Qrow’s hushed voice came out in a hiss. Winter blinked blearily. “Come on! You can’t rest now!” Winter squeezed her eyes shut, before trying to climb again. Her entire body felt slow and sluggish. She could do it. She could climb up the fence, but would it be fast enough? Qrow’s hold on her hand tightened, and he pulled her up farther. “Do I have to carry you?” he asked, and though he seemed annoyed, Winter could tell it was a serious question. Qrow didn’t want to get caught, and if that meant carrying her up himself, he’d probably do it. Or maybe he would just leave her there. Winter stared at Qrow for a minute, taking in deep breaths and focusing all her energy.  
  
“In 10 seconds, jump off of the gate,” Winter instructed in a low tone. Qrow looked at her as if she had turned into a Grimm. He tugged on her wrist again, and she yanked it out of his grasp.  
  
“Schnee, what-,” he said before pausing. The realization of what she was about to do hit him, and he looked down at her, his mouth a grim line. “Can you do it?” Winter thought for a second before nodding. She had to do it; if this didn’t work, they’d either be dead or sitting in a Mistral prison for years to come. A white light pulsed beneath her, and Winter let go of the gate.  
  
“Qrow, now!” she cried as she pushed herself into the air. Qrow didn’t hesitate as he followed suit, pushing himself off the gate. A giant, black glyph appeared beneath them. Winter fell directly in the center, Qrow a second later, and they had just enough time to brace themselves as the glyph turned red and shot them upwards, high into the sky over the gate, Winter furrowed her brow, and a path of glyphs appeared in the air just below her, allowing the two Hunters to run across the glyphs before jumping off. The fall only lasted about 5 seconds, and they rolled onto the ground, small clouds of dust circling their wake.  
  
Winter groaned, pulling herself onto her knees. She had been too tired to make another glyph to help with the landing, but nothing seemed to be broken. She fell onto her back, still breathing hard. The gate loomed about a hundred feet behind them, and the yells of the police officers sounded muffled and distant. Winter breathed a sigh of relief, closing her eyes. The grass beneath her felt as soft as a plush mattress. Maybe she could just rest here …  
  
Something forcefully shook her shoulders, and she jerked up, glaring at the culprit - Qrow, naturally.  
  
“We need to keep moving. We can rest once we find a place in the city,” he persisted. Winter wanted to snap at him and yell that she had Summoned an Ursa and used her glyphs to get them over the gate and that she needed to take a breath. But she knew he was right. They had to move. Winter nodded slowly, taking his offered hand and hoisting herself up. The two made a break for the city, which was about a mile away tops. They didn’t stop running until they reached the city, small chic restaurants and boutiques making up most of the streets. A few towering skyscrapers were dotted here and there, though it looked totally different from the clean, white buildings and towers of Atlas.  
  
When Qrow finally stopped, Winter put her hands on her knees and gulped in breaths. Qrow looked around, his hawk-like eyes taking in everything. There weren’t too many people on their street, and no one that looked threatening or dangerous. Mistral seemed surprisingly peaceful, or at least, what little they had seen seemed peaceful. Unlike the destruction that was now Vale, and the tension blanketing Atlas, the people of Mistral seemed carefree for the most part. One man was rapidly talking to his Scroll. A young couple was walking arm in arm down the street, the woman on the left laughing as she leaned heavily against the guy to the right.  
  
“You okay?” Qrow asked in a low, somewhat absent-minded tone.  
  
“Yes,” Winter breathed, still swallowing in gulps of air.  
  
“Okay. We made it in. That wasn’t so hard, right?” Winter glanced up to see Qrow giving her a teasing grin. Her muscles tensed. If she had the energy, she would use her glyphs to send him rocketing into the sky. She scowled at him, and his mocking grin grew wider. “First things first. Off with the clothes.” Winter’s eyes popped out, and she suddenly sat up pin-straight.  
  
“What?!”  
  
“I mean, we should get some new clothes from a nearby store. So we don’t stick out so much.” He looked at her innocently, which let Winter immediately know he had been purposefully teasing her. “Honestly, Schnee, what did you think I meant?” Winter glared at him.  
  
“Oh, shut up!” she said, throwing her hands in the air. She looked at her jacket, fingering the fur lining of the cuff. “I didn’t think I stood out that much.”  
  
“Honestly, your entire face could use some work. You just look like a Schnee,” Qrow commented unhelpfully. “Would you consider dying your hair?” Winter’s eyebrows reached her hairline.  
  
“I would prefer not!” she said in a dignified manner. Qrow rolled his eyes.  
  
“Your looks that important to you?”  
  
“I- no!” Winter drew herself up. “I just don’t think it’s necessary. Besides, what about you?” Qrow pointed at himself, the fake innocent look on his face.  
  
“Me? I’m just an old, grisly drunkard that people would rather avoid. I don’t stick out.” His eyes raked over her. “I’m also not from the kingdom that had its own technology turned against itself.” Winter’s lip curled in anger, and she clenched her hands into fists. Qrow looked away, shoving his hands in his pocket. “I’m sorry, that slipped out.” Winter sniffed before turning her head away. That was a low blow, even for Qrow. He seemed to realize that, at least. At the very least, he looked a little ashamed of himself.  
  
“We don’t have time to go shopping or to stop at a salon,” Winter insisted.  
  
“How long is it going to take you to pick out a new outfit?”  
  
After a few more minutes of back and forth, Winter finally agreed to stop in one of the stores and quickly grab some new clothes. She didn’t say anything to Qrow, but she had to admit to herself that it felt nice to change out of her grubby, filthy hiking clothes. Hiking through the forests and swamps of Mistral took a toll on her outfit, and her boots and pants were spattered with mud. When she met Qrow outside of the tiny boutique they had stopped at, Winter was wearing dark grey pants, a navy blue, long sleeved shirt, a white vest, and pale grey, knee-high boots. An earlier visit to a salon left her hair in its natural color, but styled so that her hair hung down to her lower back, and her sideswept bangs had been curled, though something the stylist had done made them look longer. Qrow grinned at her when she exited, and her eyes narrowed, though the hint of a smile touched her lip.  
  
“Not a word, Qrow,” she warned. Qrow kept smiling, but did as he was told. The two began walking down the street. The sun wasn’t quite setting yet, but it had begun its descent from its peak position in the sky. “What now, Qrow?”  
  
“Now, we find the Maidens.”  
  
“Where to first?”  
  
“Well, the rats usually come out at night,” Qrow mused. Winter raised an eyebrow. “So let’s see if they come crawling to us.”  
  
“Why do I even ask you questions?” Winter fixed the strap of her backpack, shifting the weight towards the center of her back. Qrow opened his mouth. “I know what you meant, Qrow. No need to explain it.” He clamped his mouth shut, grinning. “So where would you suggest we wait for ‘rats?’”  
  
“Outskirts of the city would probably be the best place to start,” Qrow advised. “Or any abandoned buildings.”  
  
“We can’t be looking for that woman though,” Winter said, mainly to herself. “If your niece is heading to Haven, we should keep an eye out for anyone who could pass as a student. Not that _that _narrows it down a lot.”  
  
“We should keep an eye out for Faunus. The woman who orchestrated the attack on Vale had the White Fang working for her.” Winter stiffened, pursing her lips. Qrow shot her a suspicious look, raising an eyebrow. “That won’t be a problem, will it?”  
  
“Not at all,” she replied smoothly. And she was sure it wouldn’t be. Probably. True, she held a bit of resentment towards the organization that had plagued her family’s company and been the cause of the constant turmoil in her younger years. But if anything, how she felt would motivate her, make her fight harder. “If we find the White Fang, we will have to fight, though,” Winter added.  
  
“Probably. Not much we can do to blend in with them.”  
  
“There could be a meeting. But maybe not. It’s been three weeks, and their leader is MIA, isn’t she?” Winter was rambling now, her mind going through every scenario and possibility. “Maybe they’ve fallen apart. Maybe her accomplices have disappeared, or they’re lying low. Maybe we should go to Haven and find the “students” who infiltrated Beacon.”  
  
“Schnee, relax,” Qrow said, waving a hand at her, before lowering his voice. “We need to find the Maidens. At a time like this, keeping them safe is a top priority.” Winter crossed her arms, sighing. It was hard to have such vague instructions, to have a mission with little to no parameters and no end goal in sight.  
  
The two made their way to the outskirts of the city, finding themselves at one of many piers that lined the coast. They scoured the docks, checked in around the empty warehouses, watched ships silently float into the bay. Nothing was out of place. There were no Faunus, no suspicious people. No sign of the young woman they were looking for. Winter briefly noticed that none of the ships that pulled into the docks were owned by her father. Usually, trade with Mistral was peaceful enough, and brought in a decent amount of money. With the kingdoms all in a tense blanket of silence, the Schnee Company couldn’t be making much of a profit.  
  
When the sky began to lighten with the coming sun, they decided to call it quits for the night. The piers were opening up for the day ahead, and Winter surmised that their enemies would prefer to work at night, when they had a lower chance of being found. So the two found a small hotel, making up a ridiculous story about being from the mountains and visiting the city for the first time. Winter hastily accepted their room key before Qrow could spin a story about how she was his girlfriend, and practically shoved him away from the confused looking employee at the inn’s desk. The room they had was small but chic and clean, and Winter, in a fairly undignified manner, plopped down onto her bed, closing her eyes and falling asleep within minutes. She didn’t wake up until mid afternoon, and Qrow, who had also sprawled out on his bed, was asleep for another hour.  
  
After they woke up and grabbed a bite to eat, they headed out again, checking the opposite side of town. This time, Winter spoke to some of the locals, trying her best to play the part of Mistral resident, albeit one from the wilderness.  
  
“Have you noticed anything strange around these parts? Have there been any noticeable strangers or visitors recently? Have there been any White Fang protests recently?”  
  
Her questions didn’t get her far. Most of the people she spoke with knew very little, or were uninterested in talking. A small few made a few comments about Faunus, and one man began to question Winter on where she was from. After quickly explaining she was from the mountains of Mistral, Winter high-tailed it away. The entire day had passed, and when Winter returned to the hotel, it was past 2 AM. Qrow was lounging on his bed, waiting for her.  
  
“Did you find anything?” he asked.  
  
“No,” Winter grumbled. “Why, did you?”  
  
“Actually, I did.” Winter blinked, eyes widening slightly.  
  
“Well then spill it Qrow!”  
  
“I followed a group of Faunus to an abandoned docking bay,” he began.  
  
“How did you know they were part of the White Fang?” Winter interrupted.  
  
“Well, I’d been following Faunus all day, hoping they might be part of the organization. None of them were, until I saw four Faunus head towards one of the ports. One held a map with three painted streaks on it. It’s a symbol the White Fang try to keep among their members, so they can use it to send messages without letting humans know.”  
  
“What happened then?”  
  
“They stopped by an abandoned boathouse, and one of them made the same three marks on the side of the building. I’d wager it’s going to be the next meeting place.”  
  
“So, tomorrow night we can check it out!” Winter exclaimed. Qrow nodded. “We finally have a lead!”  
  
“Don’t get too excited, Schnee. We don’t know if we’ll find anything useful at this White Fang meeting.”  
  
“Maybe. Maybe not. But the White Fang were part of the attack on Vale. They were working with that woman. And they’re still meeting with their members. If there’s even a small chance of finding out anything, we should take it.” Winter set her mouth into a determined line. “We’ve got nothing else to go on.” Qrow shrugged.  
  
“Guess you’re right,” he mumbled. “But don’t get too confident anyways. Some of those White Fang members are complete loons, but some of them are pretty smart, and can fight as good as most Hunters.”  
  
“I’m not a child. I can handle them,” Winter snapped. Qrow shrugged again, before closing his eyes.  
  
“Get some sleep then. Tomorrow night could be a long one.” Winter smiled softly. A lead, an actual lead. Something worthwhile. They’d make it count. They couldn’t afford not to.________


	8. Recon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow and Winter attempt to infiltrate the White Fang, hoping the group will lead them to the imposter students who led the attack on Beacon.

“We’re here, Ice Queen,” Qrow said, holding out a hand to stop Winter. They were on an old pier on the southern side of the city, watching two teen Faunus quickly duck into the old, abandoned boathouse Qrow had found the day before. Winter nodded, and the two raced over to the building, ducking around the side. They’d been watching small groups of Faunus walk inside, and finally it seemed most had arrived. Winter put her hand on the wall, skimming a finger over three slashes in the siding; the White Fang’s symbol.  


“We’ve got to get inside,” she murmured. “I doubt we can use the front door though.”  


“True,” Qrow said, glancing upwards. “But maybe … hmm.” He swung his sword out and stabbed it into the wall, creating a platform for him to stand on. He hopped onto his sword and began patting the building. “We could climb up to a window.” He began to hook his feet into the wall, preparing to climb. Winter raised an eyebrow, rolling her eyes and she unsheathed her sabre.  


“Please, Qrow,” she sighed, shaking her head. Qrow glanced back at her, eyeing the weapon in her hand.  


“You’re sure? You’re not too drained from your raging Ursa the other day?”  


“It’s been a full day. I’m fine,” Winter scoffed. “Just get ready.” A white glyph appeared beneath Qrow, dimly glowing in the darkness before turning bright red. Qrow jumped onto the glyph and shot up into the sky, landing on the roof of the boathouse. Winter smiled smugly to herself before doing the same, landing beside Qrow in a matter of seconds. Qrow grinned at her and gestured at the roof. A few feet away was a sunlight window. Winter nodded in return and crawled over to the window, wincing as the old roof creaked under her weight. Every noise sounded as if it had been amplified by ten times. She peered down the window at the room below. Though no one was directly underneath, she could see the shadows of multiple people not too far. She could also see a platform with bridges on both sides of it, not too far below the window. They must have been used for supervisors and workers trying to carry supplies or tools.  


Winter leaned forward and gently lifted the window, pushing it away from the opening. She poked her head through, looking for any nearby guards. No one was close by. She could, however, hear voices and the silent mumblings of the Faunus. _They must be on the other side of the building. _Winter slid her legs through the open window, creating a white glyph below her, and let herself fall for a mere second before landing on the glyph silently. She quickly moved aside for Qrow, who followed a second later. Qrow glanced at her for a split second before running in the other direction, Winter following him silently. The bridge spanned the entire length of the building it seemed, but the two Hunters stopped once the conversations of the Faunus became clearer.  
__

__“... us to be working. The attack changed nothing.” Winter leaned forward. Ahead of them, on the floor of the building, a group of probably 30 Faunus were gathered in front of 2 White Fang lieutenants. Only the two lieutenants and a couple other Faunus were wearing the White Fang uniform, though nearly every Faunus had the characteristic mask on. One woman from the crowd, a Faunus with two horns protruding from her head, stepped forward, pointing a finger at the two lieutenants.  
_ _

__“The attack on Vale indeed changed nothing - because no one realizes that the White Fang were involved! Most people ignore the fact that our brothers and sisters were there, in the fight. What little news that has gotten around only talks about the Grimm!” the Faunus woman accused. She looked to be about 20 or 30 something; it was hard to tell with the mask over her face. Winter narrowed her eyes. These Faunus here … it was hard to tell if anyone in this group had been directly involved in the attack. The woman who had spoken didn’t act like she’d been involved. Maybe no one here had. But they approved of it. They were okay with the deaths of the innocent Vale citizens. They were okay that students, children had been forced to fight for their lives and run from their homes. The Faunus woman was angry that the White Fang hadn’t received enough attention, not that they had launched the attack. Winter’s hand tightened around the handle of her sabre. Qrow put a hand on her shoulder, an anchor so she wouldn’t lose her temper.  
_ _

__“The White Fang’s goal was more than just _attention _,” one of the lieutenants snapped, her lip curling. A female lieutenant, it seemed. Given her mask and full White Fang uniform, it was hard to tell. The most noticeable feature among upper-ranking White Fang was their decorated masks, even more Grimm-looking than the plain, grey ones that the grunts wore. This lieutenant had red whorls and swirls decorating her mask and giving her a vulpine look. The other lieutenant had three jagged red lines that ran down the mask, meeting in a point at the bottom. Grimm masks to show what monsters they had become.  
___ _

___“We don’t know know what’s happening anymore!” the squeaky voice of another Faunus raised above the grumbling. “The damage to the CCT has cut down nearly all communication methods.”  
_ _ _

___“We still have ways,” the female lieutenant said smoothly. “The White Fang is still in operation. The agreement our leaders made with our recent allies has become difficult since the attack, given the odd situation they’ve found themselves in.” She tilted her head down, and her tone hardened. “I’d like to remind you that the White Fang’s goals have always remained the same. You know our goal. To elevate the status of Faunus. To let humans know that we aren’t second class citizens, or thugs that wander their streets. To let them know they can’t treat us like crap anymore.” Her words became a snarl, and the mumbles of the crowd turned into the soft murmurs of agreement. Winter still found herself slightly amazed at how easily the White Fang wound the naive, young Faunus around their fingers. How easily these Faunus could be manipulated.  
_ _ _

___“So, are there any more big protests planned?” a male Faunus with antlers asked from the crowd.  
_ _ _

___“Of course. Given the current circumstances, our job is now to hold as many protests in the larger cities of the kingdom. Our only direct orders are to attack the cities further, so the negative energy will draw the Grimm.”  
_ _ _

___“With a few extra … conditions.” The male lieutenant spoke up. The female nodded, and pulled out a small, rectangular object, pressing her thumb down onto it. Soft thuds and mechanical sounds echoed throughout the building as three Atlesian Knight 200s marched past the lieutenants, stopping in front of the crowd of Faunus. The murmurs grew louder, a few Faunus pointing at the robots.  
_ _ _

___“While the White Fang wants to put itself at the front of this battle, we also have the priority of turning the kingdoms against each other,” the vulpine lieutenant stated. “We’ll be using the leftover Atlas technology our employer managed to obtain.”  
_ _ _

___“We’re using Atlas technology?” The horned Faunus asked dubiously. Someone muttered something behind her about the ridiculousness of it.  
_ _ _

___“We have to. The kingdoms already have limited contact with each other, thanks to the destruction of the CCT and the suspicion against Atlas for their own Knights turning against them. We’ve reached the brink of war. Our job is to push the kingdoms over the edge. That’s why, if you are participating in the attack, you must also pick up a new uniform.”  
_ _ _

___“Uniform?”  
_ _ _

___“You will receive one at the end of this meeting.” Winter felt Qrow lean forward a bit too eagerly, trying to get a better look.  
_ _ _

___“Huh,” he muttered, “I wonder what -,” Winter grabbed his cape and yanked it back in an effort to both stop and silence him, but the damage had already been done. Winter quickly scooted backwards, pulling Qrow along with her, as the lieutenants heads swiveled around.  
_ _ _

___“Who’s there?” Winter froze, and her gaze slid to Qrow’s. He motioned at the window they had come through, and the two began to slowly back away towards the opened window.  
_ _ _

___“Senka!” The voice of the female lieutenant called out, and something dark warped behind Winter. She turned her head, drawing her sabre. A woman stood there, clothed in black and wearing a White Fang mask. Two, brown pigtails curled around her face, and her mouth, the only visible part of her face, twisted into a grin.  
_ _ _

___“Someone’s been enjoying the show,” the woman purred. “But it looks like you didn’t get a ticket. Sneak!” She pull out two sai knives, gripping them between her fingers.  
_ _ _

___“Don’t use your Semblance,” Qrow whispered hurriedly. The woman, Senka it would seem, cocked her head to the side. Winter noticed floppy, tan dog ears, partially hidden in her hair.  
_ _ _

___“Something about your Semblance? Oh, please do use it!” Senka insisted with a smile. The ears atop her head pricked up. “What are you hiding?” Winter narrowed her eyes. Qrow didn’t want her to use her Semblance. Why?  
_ _ _

___The answer hit her almost immediately. Her glyphs. The Schnee family symbol. Her Semblance was so obviously that of a Schnee - it included her family symbol, and given the hereditary nature of Schnee Semblances, most people knew what her Semblance would mean. If they found out who she was, they could use that information against her father, or perhaps General Ironwood, or perhaps the Faunus would just rally to kill a Schnee. Whichever, letting Senka see her Semblance would do nothing helpful.  
Winter responded by separating the dagger from her sabre, holding it in her left hand and the sabre in her right. She could hear the metallic sound of Qrow drawing his own weapon out. Senka dashed forward, spinning and slashing at Winter, who brought her sabre up to block the attack. She stabbed her dagger forward, aiming for Senka’s stomach, only to impale air. Senka now stood five feet away from Winter, twirling her sai knives and smiling. Qrow ran past Winter, jumping up at the last second to bring his sword down on Senka. The woman slid right under Qrow’s arm, narrowly dodging his swing, and running one of her sai along Qrow’s side. Senka straightened herself up just as Winter collided with her, pushing her sabre against Senka’s knives, and overpowering her enough to throw the Faunus over the railing. Qrow looked back, an annoyed expression on his face. He hadn’t been hurt by the slash to his side, though the ripped fabric of his shirt made it obviously that the move had made its mark. Had his Aura been too low, the hit could have been fatal.  
_ _ _

___The sound of the others below were getting louder as they scrambled for their weapons and ran for the stairs that led up to the bridge. Qrow tugged on Winter’s sleeve.  
_ _ _

___“Time for us to go, Ice Queen,” he said urgently. Winter nodded and sprinted for the window. She stepped onto the railing, reaching up for the sill, when a dark blur slammed into her side and sent her sprawling back onto the bridge. Winter climbed to her feet, glaring at a smiling Senka.  
_ _ _

___“Sorry, but you’re not going anywhere,” she said. Her smile was sickly sweet, but there was an edge to her tone. Senka flicked her sai blades upwards, and the middle points split into multiple sections, forming bladed whips that hung from the weapon’s handle. She inched forward as White Fang grunts pounded up the stairs to the bridge. Winter felt Qrow’s back hit her own as he backed into her. The Faunus must have surrounded them.  
_ _ _

___“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” A figure moved through the surrounding Faunus to stand just behind Senka. It was the female lieutenant. “Spies, no doubt?” Winter pressed her lips together.  
_ _ _

___“Nah, we were just attending the meeting! Great ideas you got going on, by the way,” Qrow commented. The lieutenant’s lips curled into a rueful smile.  
_ _ _

___“I’m so glad you enjoyed it. If only you were a Faunus.” She clapped her hands together. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to stay and chat for awhile?”  
_ _ _

___“Sorry. We’re awfully busy,” Qrow replied. “We might be free next -,” Qrow counted his fingers, “- Tuesday?”  
_ _ _

___“Senka.” Not skipping a beat, Senka cracked her chain whips forward, giving Winter barely enough time to register the move and block the attack with her sabre. Senka shot forward again, relentless in her attack. Her arms were a flurry of motion, and Winter’s heart raced as she was forced again and again to block the whips from hitting her. The bridge was barely four feet across, making it that much harder to fight. Winter felt confined, having to fight in such close quarters.  
_ _ _

___Qrow was fighting off a group of grunts just behind Winter, grunting as he pushed them back and fired a couple rounds into the crowd. Though Senka seemed to be the best out of all the gathered members, perhaps a specially trained operative of some sort, the White Fang members greatly outnumbered the two Hunters. Winter thrust her dagger forward, just nicking Senka’s shoulder, before kicking the Faunus woman in the gut. Senka’s breath came out in a whoosh of air as she fell backwards. She looked up, a furious expression on her face, before her outline turned dark and fuzzy, and she vanished. Winter brought both of her weapons up glancing all around her, while trying to keep an eye on the grunts, who seemed to be waiting for Senka to make a move.  
_ _ _

___Something touched the small of her back, and Winter froze. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder to see the tip of a sai pointed at her. Senka smiled, and Qrow straightened up when he felt the other sai pointed at his back. He didn’t lower his sword though, and Winter could tell by the tense muscles in his jaw that his temper was beginning to get the better of him.  
_ _ _

___“Are you Hunters? If you are, I expected better,” Senka quipped. Winter sucked in a quick breath and spun around, bringing her sabre down on Senka’s sai. Senka’s eyes widened as the sabre clashed with the sai in her hand. The hand holding the second sai loosened slightly, and Qrow took the opportunity to dart away, sweeping his sword in an arch through the air to keep the White Fang grunts at bay. Senka gritted her teeth, turning her masked face towards Winter, who managed to smile in return.  
_ _ _

___“You haven’t even seen half of what I can do!” Winter hissed through gritted teeth, and jabbed her dagger at Senka. Senka jumped away, trying to regain her form, as Winter barraged the woman, alternating between sabre and dagger. Senka barely managed to keep up, holding her sai in front of her to stop the attack. She hissed at Winter before disappearing again. Winter paused, her gaze wandering over the room. A small swoosh sound echoed above her, and Winter looked up to see Senka falling from the ceiling, weapons braced and ready to impale Winter.  
_ _ _

___“Idiot!” Senka yelled with uncontrolled glee. Winter took a step back, sucked in a deep breath, and swung her sabre in a downwards arch at Senka. A flash of light and smoke filled the room for a brief second, and a soft, crackling sound filled the air. The cool smoke began to dissipate, and when it cleared, Winter was standing adjacent to a half frozen Senka. The Faunus woman’s entire lower half was encased in ice, and most of her upper torso was frozen as well. The only part that was totally free of ice was her head. Senka shrieked, twisting her head back and forth to no avail. She was stuck.  
_ _ _

___Some of the White Fang grunts stopped, gaping at the frozen Senka and Winter, the triumphant winner. The White Fang lieutenant sucked in a breath, though her expression was still covered by her mask.  
_ _ _

___“You!” she growled at Winter, pulling out twin pistols from her belt.  
_ _ _

___“Qrow, time to go!” Winter shouted, sending a path of jagged ice toward the lieutenant, effectively blocking off the path. Winter turned to find Qrow, who was firing round after round at the Faunus. He caught her eye and backed up to where she was, though he kept firing off rounds.  
_ _ _

___“Go where, Ice Queen?” he yelled above the noise.  
_ _ _

___“Jump!” Winter cried as she leapt over the bridge’s railing. Her hair flew around her face for a brief moment as she fell to the floor, rolling to a crouch when she hit the concrete. She winced, curling her fingers. No matter how much a person practiced, falling from a height onto rock-hard surfaces hurt.  
_ _ _

Qrow fell a second later, landing right behind her, and they sprinted for the back door they had seen earlier. The lieutenant was yelling orders, and the grunts and outraged cries of the White Fang were echoing around the room. Dust rounds flew around them, and Winter was thankful her Aura still felt decently strong and intact. She spotted the door before Qrow did, but skidded to a stop when she saw what was guarding the door. Qrow slammed into her, startled by her sudden stop. The quiet, male White Fang lieutenant was standing directly in front of their way out, three White Fang members on each side of him, all with their guns cocked and aimed. Winter immediately aimed her own weapon, internally debating ideas on getting out the door. _I could use Ice Dust … but that could freeze over the door and block our exit. I could charge them, but there's seven of them and they each have a weapon aimed at Qrow and I _.  
__

___“Surrender and come quietly,” a female voice hissed from behind them. The other lieutenant. Winter set her mouth in a grim line. Qrow’s expression was a mixture of anger and disgust. “Shoot them, please, but don’t kill. We want them for interrogation.” Winter was already going through the ‘what-to-do-when-captured’ plans in her head, bracing herself for what could be possible torture at the hands of the White Fang. She aimed her dagger behind her, and her sabre at the lieutenant guarding the door, ready to attack.  
_ _ _

___Just as Winter readied to attack, Qrow insync and ready as well, the ground began to shake beneath them. Winter’s whole body shook, and she stabbed her sabre into the ground so she wouldn’t fall over. Qrow had done the same, one hand on his sword, the other on Winter’s back as the shaking continued. White Fang members cried out, and people began falling to the ground. The wind outside began to howl and Winter couldn’t help but wonder where, after the dead calm night just earlier that evening, had this strange storm come from?  
_ _ _

___The wind grew louder and louder, sounding like the never-ending screech of a Nevermore. Without warning, every window in the building shattered, spraying glass all around them. The wind got louder, and Winter’s hair whipped around her as the broken windows allowed the wind to scour the building. A window almost directly above Qrow and Winter shattered, sending glass shards around them in a beautiful and deadly rainfall. A few seconds later, a single bolt of lightning flashed through the window and to the ground, just inches away from Winter. There was a flash of light and the sudden smell of something burnt, and then a dark shape rose from the floor in front of Winter. It was a young woman, with olive-toned skin and wavy, short, black hair. She wore a black, sleeveless turtleneck and maroon pants, with black, heeled boots. She looked like she had just come from a classy party, not fallen from a stormy sky. She turned her head towards Winter ever so slightly, just barely catching her eye. The woman’s eyes were grayish blue. Winter’s eyes widened, her mouth forming an O.  
_ _ _

___It was the woman they’d been searching for.  
_ _ _

___The Maiden._ _ _


	9. A Helping Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow and Winter end up face to face with one of the Maidens in their fight with the white Fang.

The Maiden caught Winter’s gaze for a moment, grey-blue eyes meeting darker blue ones. She broke the gaze a second later, turning back to the White Fang lieutenant with an ice cold glare. She thrust her hand out, and the pieces of broken earth around her feet floated up, suddenly becoming encased in ice, and shot towards the White Fang members. They shouted and screeched, throwing their hands up to attempt to block the ice that was pelting them. The Maiden swung around to face the other lieutenant and crew of Faunus opposite Qrow, holding both of her hands out. She pushed at the air in front of her, and a wall of wind enveloped the remaining Faunus. As the Maiden swirled her hand in a circular motion, the wind began to do the same, in perfect sync with her motions. A tornado of wind, broken glass, and ice swirled around the White Fang, and the Maiden’s cold and ruthless expression showed no mercy. Just as one of the Faunus began to shriek, the tornado stopped, shards of ice and glass falling like rain around them.  


The Maiden held out a hand, a swirling ball of flame sitting neatly in her palm, before blasting the wall in front of her with fire. When the stream of flame coming from her hand faded to wisps of smoke, a giant opening in the wall showed the pier and part of the night sky. The edges of the wall had scorch marks on them, and dark ash had drifted onto the floor. The Maiden straightened up with a slightly smug smile. She held her hands at her side, palms raised up, as if she was still prepared to fight off any attackers with her powers. She caught the gaze of Winter and Qrow.  


“Move!” she snapped, her voice low and fluid. “Run!” Qrow was the first to snap out of it, making a run for the opening. Winter shook her head, sprinting after him. The White Fang began to stir, as if realizing that the newcomer was here to ensure the two Hunters escaped. A few Faunus leapt forward, brandishing their guns and blades. Winter halted, whipping out her sabre, but the Maiden jumped into her path, smashing a foot into the ground and sending the ground beneath her rolling, knocking the Faunus off of their feet.  


“When I said run, I meant it!” she snapped at Winter, turning to her with an expression of mixed anger and annoyance. Winter frowned, her lip curling into a grimace, but she did as she was told and followed after Qrow, fleeing the building. She heard the shouts of the Faunus behind her, quickly turning into wails of surprise and pain, and she wondered what the Maiden had done. Qrow was ahead of her, glancing back now and then to make sure she was still following. Winter glanced behind her. The Maiden had just exited the building, speeding towards the two on nothing but air. She was hovering just above the ground that it really couldn’t be called flying, and yet it was. The Maiden was flying towards them, and it was such an odd and unnatural sight that Winter gasped softly.  


“Schnee!” Winter turned back to meet the gaze of Qrow, who had slowed down and was glancing between her and the Maiden with narrowed eyes. “We need to keep going until we hit the city limits. Then we can head back to the hotel.”  


“I think perhaps we should talk.” Winter turned around to see the Maiden standing behind her - feet firmly planted on the ground, Winter noted.  


“Yeah,” Qrow agreed. “We have a lot of things we need to discuss.”  


“Is your hotel safe enough? I have a place -,”  


“We need to get you someplace safe. We’re Hunters.” At this the Maiden’s eyes widened, but rather than look relieved, she appeared angry.  


“Hunters? You’re Hunters? What the hell were you doing?”  


“What?” Winter demanded.  


“I thought you were people in serious trouble,” the Maiden snapped. “I thought you were innocent civilians in the wrong place, at the wrong time. But you were Hunters? On some kind of mission?!” The Maiden threw her hands up in the air. “Geez, I try to keep doing my job when this kingdom is at its worst, and now I’ve got to take care of the people who should be able to help themselves.”  


“We didn’t need your help!” Winter retorted, before taking a steadying breath. “Besides, we were looking for you.” The Maiden paused, staring at them warily. She took a step back, looking them over.  


“Why? Who are you?”  


“My name is Qrow. I’m a part of the Brotherhood, and I work at Signal Academy in Vale,” Qrow introduced himself.  


“I’m Winter.” Short, and hardly as much of an introduction as Qrow’s, but Winter didn’t know what would happen if she revealed she was from Atlas, and part of the military’s Specialist Unit no less. The Maiden looked them up and down, before gazing at Qrow.  


“How do I know you’re Brotherhood?” she asked in a suspicious tone. Qrow rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically before rolling up his sleeve and turning his arm over. A black insignia was branded into his upper arm, a strange symbol with a circle covered in whorls and other smaller symbols of a flame, snowflake, leaf, and lightning bolt. Qrow raised an eyebrow.  


“If that isn’t enough, you should know Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood were very prominent members of the Brotherhood,” Qrow added. “And I met the Fall Maiden. Amber. Codename Autumn. I saved her from a situation not too long ago …” His voice trailed off, and he glanced at the ground, quickly covering his sleeve up. Winter figured the incident with Amber hit him harder than he let on. It was, technically, what led to her death. Either way, whether Qrow had been there or not, Amber would be dead. The Maiden in front of them was still looking them over dubiously.  


“I believe you,” she said slowly. “But we still have a lot we need to talk about. I’m Sable Liadan by the way. Though I’m sure you already knew that.” She glanced around, as if someone could be listening to their conversation. “Your hotel room … should be an efficient place to meet.” Even that didn’t sound convincing. Winter couldn’t help but notice the Maiden seemed to have her reservations. Winter sheathed her sabre, meeting Sable’s cold gaze with a curious one of her own. Qrow glanced back and forth between the two, frowning.  


“We should get going,” he said impatiently. Sable’s eyes flashed to him, and she smiled with an expression that said she would hurt him if needed.  


“Lead the way,” Sable said. 

 

When they reached the hotel room, Qrow pulled out three chairs the lobby had provided. Sable positioned hers close to the window, sitting in it primly. Her shoulders remained tense, and she never took her eyes off Qrow or Winter. Winter sank down onto her own chair while Qrow slouched down onto his.  


“So,” he drawled, “you wanted to talk more?” Sable’s eyes narrowed, her mouth set in an angry frown.  


“Yes,” she said coolly. “You said you’d been looking for me. Why?”  


“Because we may need your help,” Winter explained hurriedly, adding, “and we came to protect you.”  


“I don’t need protection. I protect others. It’s in my job description.”  


“There could be someone out there who would target you,” Qrow said slowly. “Over a month ago -,” Sable laughed bitterly, throwing her head back.  


“I think everyone knows what happened a month ago,” she said.  


“There is more to the story,” Winter insisted, but Sable held up a hand.  


“I know. You’re an idiot if you think I don’t.” She turned her angry gaze to Qrow. “You of all people should know that I know. You apparently saved Amber before.” Something about her tone made Winter pause. The anger and the bitterness directed towards them…  


“About Amber…,” Qrow began.  


“I know,” Sable replied, a flash of sadness flickering in her eyes. For a moment, the tired, dark circles under her eyes seemed more prominent, and the furrowed brows and narrowed eyes turned into a more sorrowful expression.  


“You do?” Winter asked, only half-surprised.  


“Of course. I’m not stupid, and news travels fast. The Brotherhood keeps the Maidens up to date on needed information,” Sable explained. “And … I knew. I could feel something was wrong. Twice. But the last time, around a month ago … I knew something had happened to Amber. At this point, I’m sure the Fall powers have been transferred to another.” Her eyes flickered back to Qrow, looking for a confirmation. Qrow nodded, keeping his eyes on the ground. Sable frowned and sighed. “I’ve heard bits and pieces of the night she was attacked, and though I knew they kept Amber in Vale, presumably close to Beacon and Ozpin, I was not given the information as to where.” Her voice still held a twinge of anger.  


“That is part of the reason we’re here,” Winter said. “It’s about the new Fall Maiden.”  


“Haven’t met her.”  


“Trust me, you don’t want to,” Qrow said in a low tone. “Amber was specifically attacked _because _she was a Maiden. The people who orchestrated the attack on Vale were behind Amber’s death, and now the new Maiden is our top enemy. We think each of the Maidens is a target. With the enemy in control of the Maidens, they’d be significantly stronger than they already are. They’re already working with the White Fang, and they have no problem using the Grimm to their advantage.”  
__

__“And with the CCT still being worked on, and the tension in the kingdoms, they could seize control easily,” Winter added. Sable eyed the two.  
_ _

__“You know what their plan is? Whoever they are?”  
_ _

__“We have a decent enough idea,” Qrow said with a shrug. Sable’s eyes flashed to him.  
_ _

__“Maybe it’s not enough. Aside from deciding to protect me, what do you want me to do? As a Maiden, it’s my job to help people who need it.”  
_ _

__“Remnant needs you! You would be helping everyone!” Winter said, a little indignant.  
_ _

__“If you don’t win this, or something goes wrong, or my powers end up in the hands of some crazy psychopath, no one will be helped! If I helped you, I’d be dedicating myself to a cause that would prevent me from helping individuals who need it. And there’s a strong possibility someone will kill me.”  
_ _

__“Well, trust me on this,” Qrow said gruffly. “You keep doing whatever the hell you do, you might be killed anyways. Or worse. Amber-,” At the mention of the Fall Maiden’s name, Sable shot out of her chair, eyes blazing. She jabbed a finger at Qrow.  
_ _

__“You should have saved her, you idiot!” she snarled. “Because of you, Amber is dead!” Qrow narrowed his eyes, leaning forward in his chair. Winter’s hand went instinctively went to her weapon, her eyes glancing back and forth from Qrow to Sable. Surprisingly, Qrow didn’t say anything right away. He just stared at Sable before sighing.  
_ _

__“I tried to save her,” he said, sounding rather downcast. “I tried to get to her as quickly as possible. When I finally found her, these three people were holding her down, and using something to suck her power out of her. I severed whatever it was they were using, but Amber was left in a coma and half of her power was gone. The woman who did … I couldn’t see her face, but she attacked Beacon because Amber was there, to get the other half of her power. I tried to save her, and I’m always going to regret that I was too late. But I’m going to be straight with you. I don’t think those people would have stopped. Killing Amber was their goal.” He hesitated, then reached for the flask in his pocket, quickly taking a swig before returning it to its original place. Sable was still on her feet, her expression no less angry.  
_ _

__“If they’re so strong, what exactly do you plan to do to stop them?” Sable breathed. Her hands clenched into fists before slowly uncurling. Winter turned her own gaze to look at Qrow, questioning him silently. What did they plan to do? Find the Maidens, yes, but then what? Fight? Who would they be fighting?  
_ _

__“We need to find the other Maidens,” Qrow insisted, leaning forward.  
_ _

__“Then what? Use us?”  
_ _

__“We need you to _help _us.”  
___ _

____“Do what?!” _Sable’s voice began to raise again, and for the briefest of moments, wisps of pale blue light flickered around her eyes.  
__ _ _ _

___“If you’re expecting one simple goal, I don’t have a clear cut answer for you,” Qrow replied coolly. “We have a long road ahead of us.” Sable crossed her arms, waving a hand impatiently. “There’s … people, our allies, working in Mistral. They’re going to Haven to look for the people who orchestrated the attack on Vale.”  
_ _ _

___“And you expect us to do what?” Sable drawled.  
_ _ _

___“If we can, take out as many “weapons” our enemy has as possible. Unfortunately, that won’t be easy. Our options are limited to finding a way to completely destroy Grimm, specifically the dragon that’s frozen atop Beacon tower, or taking down the White Fang.”  
_ _ _

___“You want to either get rid of the creatures that Hunters have been fighting for centuries, or take down a corrupt terrorist organization?” Sable shook her head. “You’re crazy. Or an idiot. Or both.”  
_ _ _

___“You think the White Fang is unstoppable?” Winter asked. “Even if we found a way to cut off their access to Atlas technology, that could prove to be a substantial advantage.”  
_ _ _

___“I find that people who truly believe in what they are fighting for are difficult to beat, let alone permanently stomp out.”  
_ _ _

___“The White Fang isn’t a peace group. Their methods are brutal and wrong,” Winter said, trying to keep an even tone.  
_ _ _

___“It doesn’t matter,” Sable said, her tone softening. “That’s the thing about 'the bad guys'. A lot of the time, they think they’re doing the right thing. People will fight to the death if they believe it’s for a good cause. That’s why the White Fang is dangerous. Well, that’s one of the reasons. They’ve got more than a few tricks up their sleeves.” She snapped her ice cold gaze to Winter. “Do not underestimate them.” For a second, Winter wondered if Sable knew who she was. That maybe this Maiden knew she was a Schnee. Was it really so hard to guess?  
_ _ _

___“It’s worth a shot. If we can find the other Maidens, maybe we have a chance,” Winter said. “Do you know where the others are?” Sable straightened up a bit, her shoulders tensing. She glanced at Qrow with narrowed eyes.  
_ _ _

___“You already know I’m Brotherhood,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “If we were your enemies, you’d already be dead.” Sable grimaced, but his words seemed to do the trick.  
_ _ _

___“Obviously, I don’t know their exact locations at every moment of every day.” She crossed her arms. “I’m not their stalker, and I’m not their babysitter. My friend Beth, the Spring Maiden, was actually on her way to Mistral from Vacuo, last I checked. I might be able to get in contact with her and persuade her to come here. As for the Summer Maiden, I think she left for Vale. She was here just a few weeks ago, but you missed her.”  
_ _ _

___“The Spring Maiden,” Winter began, “do you think we can find her?” Sable eyed Winter for a moment.  
_ _ _

___“Probably.”  
_ _ _

___“We find her,” Qrow said, “and then we can attack the White Fang.”  
_ _ _

___“You’ll have to find the White Fang again. They’ve probably upped security, maybe even moved away to another city, especially if they were sure you were Hunters,” Sable reminded them.  
_ _ _

___“We find the Maiden first, then we worry about the White Fang,” Winter said with a wave of her hand, eyes sparkling. The White Fang might have gone underground even further, but Winter was certain she could find them. If no recon missions or stealth techniques worked, they had something the White Fang might want.  
_ _ _

___Qrow’s gaze flickered to Winter for a brief moment, before darting back to the Maiden. “You’re in, then?” Sable raised an eyebrow, the slightest curve of a smile playing at her lips. She walked to the door, pulling it open.  
_ _ _

___“I’ll get in contact with Beth,” she said, already turned away. “I trust we’ll be meeting soon. By the way, your Scrolls should work within the city limits. Some crews have been trying to make the CCT operational again, but the best they’ve been able to do is make local communication work, albeit a bit buggy at best.” She gave a casual wave of her hand, before closing the door behind her. “Later!” The door shut, and Qrow and Winter were left in the silence of their hotel room. Qrow stretched his arms high above his head, cracking his neck loudly. Winter primly smoothed the wrinkles in her clothes.  
_ _ _

___“That went well,” Qrow said sarcastically.  
_ _ _

___“Perhaps you should have been less forward,” Winter said frostily. Qrow raised an eyebrow, giving her a shrug.  
_ _ _

___“What’s wrong, Ice Queen?” Qrow teased.  
_ _ _

___“Your conduct was hardly the most polite or appropriate.”  
_ _ _

___“We don’t have the luxury of time to trip over words, or sugarcoat the truth,” Qrow said, his tone hardening. “We’re in the middle of a war, and our enemies have the upper hand.” He scoffed. “We’ll be lucky if we even get two of the Maidens to help us.”  
_ _ _

___“Do you think we will?” Winter asked in a low tone. Qrow shrugged.  
_ _ _

___“Maybe. Even if we do find them all, there’s no guarantee they will help us. I can hardly make them after what happened with Amber.” His thumb rolled against something round and silver at his side. At first, Winter mistook it for his flask, but quickly realized it was the handle of Ozpin’s cane. She had forgotten he’d been carrying it, and she’d even forgotten Qrow’s frustration that Ozpin was still missing.  
_ _ _

___“You’re still looking for Ozpin, then,” Winter said.  
_ _ _

___“I never stopped looking.” Another half-hearted scoff. “Put it on pause for this little adventure.” Winter frowned and brushed a hand through her bangs.  
_ _ _

___“We will find Ozpin, Qrow.”  
_ _ _

___“If old Oz is even alive.” It was one of the first times Qrow had ever sounded pessimistic about the possibility of Ozpin’s death. Before it had always been “ol’ Oz is kicking” and other reassurances. Qrow looked up from the cane, pale, red, tired eyes meeting solemn blue ones. The circles under his eyes seemed darker than before.  
_ _ _

___“If we don’t find Oz though,” he said glumly, “I don’t know if we can win this. No matter what we do, it might not make a difference, Schnee.”_ _ _


End file.
